North Korean diplomatic officials criticized the US-South Korean plan to exercise next month, saying the move was equivalent to a "confrontation statement".

The United States and South Korea last year canceled the Vigilant Ace air battle and a number of other joint exercises in the context of improved relations with North Korea. However, Pentagon spokesman David Eastburn said this week that the US "has no plans to cancel the upcoming joint drills" this year.

Kwon of the Korean delegation negotiated a nuclear issue with the US in Sweden last month. Discussing the issue, Pyongyang blamed Washington for the lack of "new and innovative" solutions.

Negotiations have come to a standstill since the US-Korea summit in Hanoi in February. The two sides disagree on issues such as US sanctions and the extent of North Korean denuclearization. Pyongyang this year tested 12 missiles. Last week, they announced the successful test of a supersonic jet system that could destroy multiple targets at once.

Vigilant Ace is an annual large exercise. In 2017, Washington and Seoul mobilized about 230 fighters and 12,000 soldiers to participate in the event. North Korea is always angry at the US-Korea exercises because they think this is a rehearsal exercise.