North Korea denounces upcoming US-South Korea-Japan military drills as 'air espionage'

North Korea on Monday denounced upcoming trilateral military exercises by the US, South Korea and Japan as "air espionage," accusing Washington of reaffirming what it called an unchanging hostile policy threatening its sovereignty and security interests.

Pyongyang's reaction came after the US State Department reiterated Washington's commitment to the "complete denuclearization" of North Korea, state-run KCNA reported, citing a Foreign Ministry statement.

The State Department "openly betrayed its extremely sinister and vicious hostile attempt to tarnish the image of our country and create its internal instability, talking about someone's 'human rights abuses,'" the ministry said.

South Korea, the US and Japan are scheduled to conduct their trilateral "Freedom Edge" military exercise from Sept. 7–11 in waters east and south of South Korea's Jeju Island.

The drills come after the Trump administration earlier this month cut short joint exercises with Seoul in an apparent effort to encourage Pyongyang to resume talks.

"It is pointless to expect any detente in the region, given the grave situation where the US persistent hostile policy toward" North Korea "is evolving in a more dangerous way," the ministry said.

"Our nukes serve as an absolute guarantee for defending its sovereignty," it added.

The ministry said Freedom Edge constituted a "threat to the DPRK and regional countries" and accused the US and its allies of "perpetrating air espionage and other anti-DPRK military provocations one after another," using the acronym for North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

The statement came a day after North Korea appointed Kim Song Gi, director of the General Political Bureau of the Korean People's Army, as defense minister, replacing No Kwang Chol.

No was reassigned as vice director of the Munitions Industry Department.