The DPRK held a national meeting in Pyongyang on Sunday to mark the 84th anniversary of the Korean People's Army, or KPA. At the meeting, the KPA Chief of General Staff -- Ri Myong Su -- lashed out at the United States for introducing strategic weapons to South Korea during joint military exercises.

He said the move escalated tensions and brought the Korean Peninsula closer to a possible nuclear war. Ri warned that if US and South Korean authorities continue making nuclear provocations in order to weaken DPRK's national leadership, the DPRK was ready to launch a pre-emptive strike -- by land, air, or sea --  "without any prior warning".