Story highlights US general says economic pressure will be enough to stop N. Korean threats

North Korea is waiting to see what the US does before deciding on missile launch

(CNN) A top US general says contentious military exercises with South Korea, due to start on Monday off the Korean peninsula, are not up for negotiation.

US Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Joseph Dunford told reporters during a visit to Beijing there would no scaling back of planned military exercises despite the recent tensions with North Korea.

The annual drills antagonize Pyongyang which see the exercises as practice for an invasion , however the US and South Korea maintain they are purely defensive.

Dunford's statement came as South Korean President Moon Jae-in promised his citizens Thursday there "will be no war on the Korean peninsula ever again."

Moon, who took office in May, told a news conference to mark his 100th day in office that US and South Korean policies are aligned on North Korea.