North Korea calls South Korea a 'puppet' for joining US maritime exercise

SEOUL - North Korean state media on Friday called South Korea a "puppet" following its participation in a maritime exercise led by the U.S., saying Seoul and Washington would need to bear responsibility for any "unpredictable escalation" in the region.

The comments from North Korean state media outlet KCNA came after the Rim of the Pacific Exercise (RIMPAC) in Hawaii last week, which saw the South Korean navy lead the maritime forces for the first time.

The exercise is billed as the world's largest international maritime exercise and is held every two years. Some 30 countries took part this year, including Japan, Canada and Australia, according to the RIMPAC website.

The KCNA said that "the South Korean puppet forces took part as a main component" at a time when "military collusion is becoming increasingly overt," referring to the recent strengthening of South Korean-Japanese military cooperation and of South Korea's relationship with NATO.

This marks the first time in about a year and three months that North Korea has used the term “puppet” to refer to Seoul, following an incident in April 2025 in which a fuel tank and gun pods attached to an air force aircraft detached and fell in a mountainous area in Gangwon Province during a training exercise.

The KCNA also said that RIMPAC was not just a "routine drill against a hypothetical adversary" but rather a war demonstration by the U.S. and its allies targeting countries in the Indo-Pacific.

"All these facts point to which forces are truly shaking the foundation of world peace and security and they foreshadow the possibility of unwanted situations occurring on the Korean Peninsula and in the region if not anticipated," it said.

It further criticised a joint Washington-Seoul Marine Corps exercise, stating the joint air drill simulated "deep infiltration into enemy rear areas" from the U.S. Navy's USS Essex.

The criticism comes as North Korea has highlighted its naval modernisation drive.

Earlier this month, KCNA reported that leader Kim Jong Un observed the launch of a strategic cruise missile and tests of weapons systems aboard the new 5,000-ton destroyer Kang Kon.

(Reporting by Hyeyoon Cho; Editing by Thomas Derpinghaus)