North Korea has warned of severe measures if the US and South Korea do not stop the drills

(CNN) — North Korea has called on the United States and South Korea to halt large-scale military exercises, a North Korean foreign ministry spokesman said in a statement on Monday.

“The situation in and around the Korean Peninsula has re-entered the stage of serious power conflict due to the incessant and reckless military moves of the United States and South Korea,” the statement said.

South Korea and the United States began large-scale military air drills on Monday to bolster their deterrence against North Korea’s provocations. The exercises involving more than 100 warplanes will be held in South Korean airspace from October 31 to November 4.

The spokesman also warned that the North Korean government could take “very powerful countermeasures” if the drills continue.

“If the U.S. continues with serious military provocations, the DPRK will consider more powerful retaliatory measures,” the statement said.

“If the U.S. does not want extreme measures that do not match its security interests, it must immediately stop the futile and futile military exercises. Otherwise, you will have to bear the full blame for all the consequences,” the report warned.