North Korea warns Britain it faces 'miserable end' if it takes part in military exercise on peninsula

Britain has been warned by North Korea it faces a “miserable end” if UK troops take part in military exercises alongside those from South Korea and the U.S.

Pyongyang made the warning after joint exercises involving international troops began at the beginning of the week.

The Ulchi Freedom Guardian drills are thought to involve troops from Britain and Australia. Some 70,000 troops are thought to be taking part in total.

They are taking place at a time of high tension on the Korean peninsula following inflammatory rhetoric between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and U.S. president Donald Trump.

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Pyongyang also recently threatened to target seas off the coast of the U.S. Pacific territory of Guam and test-launched inter-continental ballistic missiles.

North Korea says that it views the military exercises as a dress rehearsal for war, whereas Seoul says the drills are about improving defensive military capabilities.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, North Korea’s official KCNA news agency said the drills were proof of America’s intention to invade, reported the Guardian.

“The reality vividly shows that the U.S. ambition for stifling the DPRK [North Korea] remains unchanged no matter how much water may flow under the bridge and the puppet group’s ambition for invading the north remains unchanged,” read the statement.

And it also warned that those who take part in the drills were in their cross-hairs too.

“Availing ourselves of this opportunity, we solemnly warn not only the US and puppet group but also satellites, including UK and Australia, which are taking advantage of the present war manouevres against the north that they would face a miserable end if they join in play with fire by tiger moths of war.”

It is not the first time British military has taken part in exercises on the peninsula.

Last October RAF fighter jets were involved in a drill known as “Invincible Shield”.

North Korea has also warned Australia it has committed a “suicidal act” by vowing to fight alongside US troops if America was attacked by Pyongyang.

earlier described Australia as having committed a “suicidal act” by joining the US-led military exercises.