The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) condemned the upcoming U.S.-South Korea joint military drill scheduled for Aug. 17 to 27, the official KCNA news agency reported on Sunday.

The aim of the military exercises was at "escalating sanctions and pressure on the DPRK" and "preparing a war of aggression" against it, a spokesman for the Panmunjom Mission of the Korean People's Army said.

DPRK would react an eye for an eye if the two countries threaten it with nukes and missiles, the spokesman added.

"If they tighten 'sanctions' and push 'confrontation' to an extreme phase, the DPRK will react to them with merciless retaliation and an all-out war of justice," he said.

The Ulchi Freedom Guardian (UFG) 2009, the annual South Korea-U.S. drills combined with computer simulation exercises, is aimed at improving the allies' fight-back abilities against external aggressions to South Korea, the U.S. Forces in South Korea (USFK) said.

According to the USFK, United Nations Command has informed the Korean People's Army in DPRK about the upcoming drill, saying it is a defensive military exercise and not meant for a provocative action.

(Xinhua News Agency August 16, 2009)