DPRK threatens retaliation for drills by S. Korea, US

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The Democratic People's Republic of Korea has ordered special alerts in response to impending joint military exercises by South Korea and the United States.

Newsreader of DPRK Television said, "If they threaten the DPRK with missiles, Pyongyang will react to them with missiles. If they tighten sanctions and push confrontation to an extreme phase, the DPRK will react to them with merciless retaliation of its own style and an all-out war of justice."

Seoul and Washington kick off their annual computer-simulated war games on Monday. The DPRK sees the yearly event as preparation for an eventual invasion. The US and South Korea say the maneuvers are purely defensive.

The US is moving to enforce UN sanctions, as well as its own measures, against the DPRK following the nation's second nuclear test in May and a series of missile launches.

South Korean President Lee Myung-bak has renewed an offer of aid to the DPRK and called for a candid dialogue about dismantling its' nuclear program. Lee made similar aid offers in the past, but the DPRK rejected those overtures.