Kim Criticizes South Korea-U.S. Iron Mace Drill
North Korea's munitions official calls the simulated joint exercise a rehearsal for nuclear war against the North.
Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in Military
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Kim Jeong-sik, first vice director of North Korea's Munitions Industry Department, condemned the South Korea-U.S. combined tabletop exercise Iron Mace in a statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency on November 2. Kim said the four-day closed-door drill, which began September 29, examined integrating U.S. nuclear forces with South Korean conventional forces.
Why it matters
Kim said U.S. nuclear blackmail justified North Korea's efforts to strengthen its nuclear capabilities. Observers interpret the statement as an effort to make suspension of the allied exercises an agenda item in future North Korea-U.S. dialogue.
Iron Mace is a simulation-centered tabletop exercise run by South Korean and U.S. military authorities and has been held since 2024 under Nuclear Consultative Group guidelines. North Korea's criticism does not address whether the drill's scope or schedule will change.
The players
Kim Jeong-sik
First vice director of North Korea's Munitions Industry Department of the Workers' Party Central Committee, who oversees nuclear and missile development and mass production.
Korean Central News Agency
North Korea's official state news agency, which carried Kim's statement.
Ministry of Unification
South Korea's government ministry handling inter-Korean relations, whose spokesperson Yoon Min-ho called Kim's October statement unusual.
The details
Kim called Iron Mace the most heinous nuclear war rehearsal aimed at using nuclear weapons against North Korea. He also referenced other allied drills, including the Freedom Flag air exercise, the Hoguk maneuver and the U.S.-Japan Keen Sword exercise.
Timeline
September 29: Iron Mace four-day closed-door exercise begins.
October 16: Kim issues a statement countering South Korea's claim about hypersonic glide vehicle heat-resistant materials.
October 31: North Korea tests a tactical ballistic missile cluster munition warhead.
November 2: Kim criticizes the Iron Mace exercise.
Roadmap
Iron Mace has been conducted since 2024 as part of implementing joint guidelines of the South Korea-U.S. Nuclear Consultative Group. North Korea's response extends a pattern of denouncing allied drills as nuclear rehearsals.
Any suspension of South Korea-U.S. exercises would change the drill calendar that regional military planners follow. The extraction does not confirm that any such change has been decided.
The takeaway
North Korea is tying its nuclear program to allied exercises and is signaling that those drills could become a bargaining point in any future talks with Washington. Watch whether the criticism is followed by formal diplomatic proposals.
Further reading
Explore more on Military for context on joint drills and deterrence on the Korean Peninsula.
Source note: This article includes information reported by 경향신문.
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