North Korea criticizes military drill

The North Korea Workers' Party warned of a catastrophe Sunday if South Korea and the United States move ahead with their annual military drill next month. The drill, set for mid-August, is one of two that South Korea and the United States have staged annually to test and improve their defense position against the North. But North Korea has criticized the drills as a rehearsal for war. Party officials said in an article published Sunday that the Korean peninsula will enter a state of catastrophe if the drills go on as planned, South Korea's Yonhap News Agency said. The article also called for the dismantlement of the U.N. Command, which is the unified command structure for the U.S.-led force that supported South Korea in its fight in the Korean War. The dismantlement would help ease tensions on the peninsula, the newspaper said.