 North Korea says U.S. drills amount to declaration of war. North Korea has warned that it will soon consider U.S. military action near its borders as a declaration of war, issuing a harsh response after American diplomats pressed the United Nations to condemn recent weapons tests by the DPRK. Senior Foreign Ministry official Kwon Jung-yeon, who oversees U.S. affairs, issued a statement to strongly protest a U.N. Security Council meeting held earlier this week, where Washington proposed a measure to denounce Pyongyang's latest ballistic missile launches. Such a move would be a clear violation of our state's rights to self-defense, Kwon said, adding if the U.N. Security Council sincerely intends to contribute to ensuring peace and security on the Korean peninsula, it will have to condemn acts that escalate military tension, such as the deployment of strategic assets and large-scale joint military exercises between the United States and South Korea. The official went on to say these actions have largely been ignored by the international community. Warning of strong countermeasures should North Korea's concerns continue to go unheeded. It should be borne in mind that if the U.S. continues its hostile and provocative practices against the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, despite our repeated protests and warnings, it could be regarded as a declaration of war. At the U.N. meeting on Monday, U.S. envoy Linda Thomas Greenfield scolded the Security Council for its alleged lack of action in response to North Korean arms tests, calling it dangerous and worse than shameful. She pressured the body to adopt a formal presidential statement, which does not amount to a legally binding resolution to condemn last missile launches. The recent weapons tests prompted several rounds of military exercises by the United States, South Korea and Japan, with Washington and Seoul carrying out combined air drills on Sunday, followed by three-way naval exercises in the Sea of Japan. A tabletop simulation involving South Korean officials was also held in the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, during which Pyongyang said it fired off long-range cruise missiles. The tit-for-tat military action underscores soaring tensions on the Korean Peninsula over the last year, with North Korea carrying out a record number of missile tests amid a flurry of joint war games led by the Pentagon. The DPRK has repeatedly condemned the drills as rehearsals for an invasion and argues its missiles program is intended for self-defense, while Washington continues to press North Korea to abandon its nuclear arsenal.