US military drills on the Korean Peninsula were always a fairly common occurrence, and one which fuels a lot of tension.in the region. But with tensions already at record levels, US drills seem to be even bigger and more frequent.

North Korea’s Foreign Ministry has once again criticized the latest drills in the peninsula, saying that frequent drills and US threats of preemptive war are making the idea of a new war on the peninsula unavoidable and “an established fact.”

The ministry’s spokesman labeled the US behavior “confrontational warmongering,” saying they are pushing Korea to the brink of war. The most recent drills included US warplanes, including nuclear-capable bombers, running practice drills near the North Korean frontier.

As tensions soar, such drills are increasingly provocative, but also increasingly risky, with the ever-present threat that North Korea will interpret a drill as a real attack and retaliate, starting a full-scale war.