North Korea’s state-run media fired back at South Korea on Friday, labeling the country a “puppet” after its navy played a central role in a large-scale maritime exercise organized by the United States, warning that both Seoul and Washington would be held accountable for any “unpredictable escalation” that might follow.
The remarks from the North Korean state media outlet KCNA came in response to last week’s Rim of the Pacific Exercise, known as RIMPAC, held in Hawaii. It marked the first time South Korea’s naval forces took the lead role among participating maritime units in the exercise’s history.
RIMPAC is recognized as the largest international maritime exercise in the world and takes place every two years. This year’s event drew participation from roughly 30 nations, among them Japan, Canada, and Australia, according to the RIMPAC website.
KCNA stated that “the South Korean puppet forces took part as a main component” during a period when “military collusion is becoming increasingly overt,” a reference to the deepening military cooperation between South Korea and Japan, as well as Seoul’s growing relationship with NATO.
This is the first time in approximately one year and three months that North Korea has used the word “puppet” to describe South Korea. The last time was following an April 2025 incident in which a fuel tank and gun pods fell from a South Korean air force aircraft during a training exercise, landing in a mountainous area of Gangwon Province.
North Korea’s state outlet also argued that RIMPAC was far more than a “routine drill against a hypothetical adversary,” characterizing it instead as a show of military force by the U.S. and its allies directed at nations throughout the Indo-Pacific.
“All these facts point to which forces are truly shaking the foundation of world peace and security and they foreshadow the possibility of unwanted situations occurring on the Korean Peninsula and in the region if not anticipated,” KCNA stated.
The outlet went on to criticize a joint U.S.-South Korean Marine Corps exercise, saying the air drill simulated “deep infiltration into enemy rear areas” launched from the U.S. Navy vessel USS Essex.
The sharp rhetoric comes at a time when North Korea has been publicly showcasing its own efforts to strengthen its naval capabilities. Earlier this month, KCNA reported that leader Kim Jong Un watched the launch of a strategic cruise missile and observed weapons system tests aboard the newly built 5,000-ton destroyer Kang Kon.
