North Korea on Friday denounced a plan by South Korea and the United States to stage their joint annual military drills in August, warning that they could face a "catastrophic aftermath" if they carry out the exercise. The Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) by Seoul and Washington is a "nuclear attack exercise" against Pyongyang that will involve state-of-the-art military equipment, including nuclear strategic assets, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). In December 2023, South Korea and the US agreed to hold a discussion-based exercise simulating North Korea's use of a nuclear weapon in conjunction with the UFS. It would mark the first time such training takes place. In a separate KCNA dispatch, the North also denounced the latest joint air combat drills between advanced South Korean and US stealth fighters, South Korea's Yonhap News Agency reported. Source: Qatar News Agency