North Korea slams U.S.-S.Korea computer-simulated drills

North Korea denounced on Monday joint military drills between South Korea and the United States amid heightened tension over the North's nuclear and missiles programmes which it said was aimed at a preemptive attack.

"This is aimed to ignite a nuclear war on the Korean peninsula at any cost," the North's KCNA news agency said.

"The situation on the Korean peninsula has plunged into a critical phase due to the reckless north-targeted war racket of the war maniacs."

South Korean and U.S. forces began computer-simulated military exercises earlier on Monday amid tension over North Korea's weapons programmes, with the North saying it was watching the United States' every move.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in said the joint drills, called Ulchi Freedom Guardian, were purely defensive and did not aim to increase tension on the peninsula.

(This article has not been edited by DNA's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)