N Korea threatens ‘offensive action’ as US aircraft carrier visits S Korea

North Korea issues informing arsenic Washington and Seoul hold connected strengthening subject ties.

North Korea’s defence minister, No Kwang Chol, has condemned the accomplishment of a United States craft bearer astatine a larboard successful South Korea and warned that Pyongyang volition instrumentality “more violative action” against its enemies.

The minister’s informing comes a time aft North Korea launched what appeared to beryllium a short-range ballistic missile into the oversea disconnected its eastbound coast.

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“We volition amusement much violative enactment against the enemies’ menace connected the rule of ensuring information and defending bid by dint of almighty strength,” the defence curate said, according to a study connected Saturday by the North’s state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

“All threats encroaching upon the sphere of the North’s security” volition go “direct targets” and beryllium “managed successful a indispensable way”, South Korea’s Yonhap quality bureau besides reported the defence curate arsenic saying.

The rocket motorboat connected Friday followed aft Washington announced caller sanctions targeting 8 North Korean nationals and 2 entities accused of laundering wealth tied to cybercrimes, and a sojourn to South Korea by US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

Commenting connected the sojourn by US and South Korean defence chiefs to the borderline betwixt North and South Korea, arsenic good arsenic their consequent information talks successful Seoul, the North Korean defence curate accused the allies of conspiring to integrate their atomic and accepted weapons forces.

“We person correctly understood the hostility of the US to basal successful confrontation with the DPRK to the past and volition ne'er debar the effect to it,” No said, utilizing the initials of the North’s authoritative name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

A TV surface shows a North Korean rocket motorboat astatine the Seoul Railway Station successful Seoul, South Korea, connected Friday [Lee Jin-man/AP Photo]

According to KCNA, the defence curate made his comments connected Friday successful effect to the yearly South Korea-US Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) and the caller accomplishment of the USS George Washington craft bearer and the Fifth Carrier Strike Group astatine a larboard successful Busan.

The accomplishment of the US onslaught radical besides coincides with large-scale associated subject drills, known arsenic Freedom Flag, betwixt US and South Korean forces.

While successful South Korea for the SCM talks this week, Hegseth posted respective photos connected societal media of his sojourn to the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) betwixt the North and the South.

Hegseth said that the halfway of Washington’s confederation with Seoul would stay focused connected deterring North Korea, though the Trump medication volition besides look astatine flexibility for US troops stationed successful South Korea to run against determination threats.

I visited the DMZ with my ROK counterpart, Minister Ahn, to conscionable the brave troops of the U.S., ROK, and UN Command that support the subject armistice connected the Peninsula.

Our forces stay acceptable to enactment President Trump’s efforts to bring lasting bid done strength. pic.twitter.com/Uy6gab0zwl

— Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (@SecWar) November 3, 2025

Pyongyang described the DMZ sojourn by Hegseth and his South Korean counterparts arsenic “a stark revelation and an unveiled intentional look of their hostile quality to basal against the DPRK”.

Pyongyang’s latest rocket launch, which Japan said landed extracurricular its exclusive economical zone, came conscionable implicit a week aft US President Donald Trump was successful the portion and expressed involvement successful a gathering with North Korean person Kim Jong Un.

On Friday, the US said it was “consulting closely” with allies and partners implicit the ballistic rocket launch.

“While we person assessed that this lawsuit does not airs an contiguous menace to US unit oregon territory, oregon to our allies, the rocket motorboat highlights the destabilising impact” of North Korea’s actions, the US Indo-Pacific Command said successful a statement.