North Korea has issued a sharp rebuke over the major military exercise being carried out by the U.S. and its South Korean ally, labeling the training a "war rehearsal." Newsweek reached out to the Pentagon and the South Korean embassy in the U.

North Korea denounced joint military drills between the US and South Korea saying the South Korean Air Force’s recent bombing mistake shows the risk of the region unintentionally getting dragged into a new armed conflict.

The US and South Korea paused their live-fire drills after the incident but the Freedom Edge 25 drills will continue through March 20 as per schedule