North Korea slammed upcoming U.S.-South Korea exercises and warned of war on Monday. File Photo by Jeon Heon-kyun/EPA

Aug. 14 (UPI) -- North Korea slammed upcoming U.S.-South Korea exercises and warned of a "second Korean War" should Seoul and Washington go ahead with the annually held Ulchi-Freedom Guardian.

The combined military exercise, set to begin Aug. 21, could trigger a conflict, according to Pyongyang's state-controlled news agency KCNA.


"If sparks fly as a result of an incident, no amount of strength could prevent war," North Korea stated in the editorial that ran under the headline, "Does the United States desire self-destruction?"

Pyongyang's news agency described the upcoming war games, the world's largest computerized or simulated drill, as an "exercise for a large-scale nuclear war."

"The significance of the exercise for a large-scale nuclear war is crystal clear, at this time of an extremely worsening situation on the Korean peninsula," KCNA stated.

The United States is "talking about deploying a massive military force" in this exercise, Pyongyang added.

"No matter how much the exercises are regularized through conversation, the danger of war can never be diminished," the news agency said. "Should a second Korean War erupt, it will only lead to nuclear war."

The editorial also claimed North Korea is "confident" about the capabilities of its weapons, while referring to its recent statement about the regime's capability to target the U.S. territory of Guam.

"We are confident enough to reveal the trajectory of the missile, impact point. No one can guess the power of [our weapons]," North Korea stated.

Pyongyang's news agency also said that despite "our repeated warnings, the United States continues to wield its nuclear 'baton'."

"But as it plays more tricks, it will feel the pressure of self-destruction," North Korea stated.