SEOUL，11月2日 - 朝鲜周一表示，最近一次美韩联合军事演习是针对该国的核战争预演，并誓言加快加强核威慑力度，据朝鲜中央通讯社KCNA报道。
SEOUL, Nov 2 - North Korea said on Monday a recent US-South Korean joint military exercise was a nuclear war rehearsal targeting the country and vowed to accelerate efforts to strengthen its nuclear deterrent, according to state media KCNA.
执政党劳动党副部长金正植表示，“铁锤”演习表明，美国在“用核武器扼杀朝鲜的疯狂野心”上毫无改变，此类威胁“与日俱增”。他表示，“铁锤”演习以及华盛顿和首尔的其他联合军事活动，凸显了朝鲜需要以更快速度增强核力量。
Kim Jong Sik, a deputy department director in the ruling Workers’ Party, said the Iron Mace exercise showed the US remained unchanged in its "wild ambition to stifle North Korea with nukes" and that such threats were "escalating with each passing day." He said Iron Mace and other joint military activities by Washington and Seoul underscored the need for North Korea to bolster its nuclear forces at a faster pace.
据首尔军方称，美国和韩国于9月29日至10月2日举行了旨在将美国核能力与韩国常规部队相结合的“铁锤”演习。
The United States and South Korea held Iron Mace, an exercise aimed at integrating US nuclear capabilities with South Korean conventional forces, from September 29 to October 2, according to Seoul's military.
分析人士表示，负责监督朝鲜核与导弹研发和生产的关键官员金正植发表阐述该国核政策的声明，这属罕见，这一角色通常由国防部或外交部承担。
Analysts said it was unusual for Kim, a key official overseeing North Korea’s nuclear and missile development and production, to issue a statement setting out the country’s nuclear policy, a role more commonly taken by the defence or foreign ministry.
北韩大学荣誉教授杨武珍表示，金正植的角色可能正从导弹研发和生产扩展到核与导弹政策。
Yang Moo-jin, a professor emeritus at the University of North Korean Studies, said Kim’s role could be expanding beyond the development and production of missiles to include nuclear and missile policy.
自9月边境地雷爆炸以来，两韩紧张局势升级，朝鲜随后威胁将在10月底前恢复向韩国广播宣传。
Tensions have escalated between the two Koreas after a border mine explosion in September, with North Korea subsequently threatening to resume loudspeaker propaganda broadcasts toward the South by the end of October.
然而，韩国军方周一表示，目前尚未确认平壤已兑现该威胁的迹象。
South Korea’s military said on Monday, however, there were no confirmed indications yet that Pyongyang had followed through on the threat.