North Korea warns US, Japan, South Korea over military exercises

North Korea warned of "fatal consequences" over South Korea's joint military exercises with Japan and the United States, which it described as an "Asian version of NATO".

Pyongyang made its claim a day after the close of the three-day drills dubbed "Freedom Edge", featuring ballistic missile and air defence, anti-submarine warfare and cyber defence tests.

The exercises were agreed last year by the three countries as an annual drill to serve as a sign of unity in the face of the North Korean nuclear threat and China's growing regional influence.

"We strongly denounce (...) the military provocation against North Korea," Pyongyang's foreign ministry said in a statement carried by the official KCNA news agency on Sunday.

"The US-Japan-DPRK (South Korea) relations have taken on the full appearance of an Asian version of NATO," Pyongyang added, warning that it would have "fatal consequences".

The US nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt, Japanese guided-missile destroyer JS Atago, and Korean KF-16 fighter aircraft took part in the manoeuvres.

Pyongyang has in the past referred to the joint exercises as rehearsals for an invasion of its territory.