Organizations including those for peace against war and for reunification and labor movement said that all forms of war drills conducted by the U.S. and south Korea every year under the pretext of "annual ones" are ones for mounting a preemptive attack on the north in view of their goal and nature and scope of military hardware involved.

The Solidarity for Democracy, People's Life, Peaceful Reunification and Sovereignty held that the war drills staged in conspiracy with foreign forces resulted in threatening the peace on the Korean peninsula and driving the south-north relations into collapse.

The People for Achieving Peace and Reunification stressed that the war drills should be halted at once as they are throwing a wet blanket over the atmosphere of south-north dialogue and reconciliation, adding a peaceful climate should be created through dialogue, not by confrontation and war.

The People's Action for Peace against War said: In order to turn the confrontational south-north relations into ones for reconciliation and cooperation, the south Korean authorities should totally stop all hostile military acts including joint military exercises with the U.S. and opt for improving relations.

Youth, students, workers, peasants and other people of south Korea said peace never comes of its own accord, adding they will take the lead in the efforts for preventing a war and achieving peace.

Internet paper Minjok Ilbo said that the situation is getting extremely tense due to the north-targeted war drills of the U.S. and south Korean authorities and the situation on the peninsula is so tense that a war may break out anytime.