North Korea denounces ‘Freedom Shield’ as aggressive, but COGwriter expects a coming reunification

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COGwriter

ZeroHedge reported the following:

North Korea Rages At Upcoming US Drills: “Rehearsal For Aggressive War”

August 15, 2026

North Korea has issued a severe warning over the upcoming joint military exercise between the United States and South Korea, characterizing it as a rehearsal for an aggressive war and that it is is ready to respond.

North Korea’s Foreign Ministry described Friday that these planned drills look different, and will be more dangerous, compared to all prior ones of the past-half decade, in that they appear offensive in nature as the exercise will focus on modern warfare tactics.

The 10-day Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise will kick off this coming Monday, August 17, and will see tens of thousands of military personnel from the United States, South Korea participate – but also other allied countries such as Australia.

“The US announced that the forthcoming exercises are quite different from the ones of the past five years and intended to master the ability of fighting a war on the basis of the new aspects of modern warfare,” the North Korea condemnation reads.

“By doing so, it did not conceal its aim to complete preparations for the substantial military confrontation with the DPRK. This is tantamount to an admission that the exercises, which the US and the ROK describe as ‘annual’ and ‘defensive’ ones, are a rehearsal for an aggressive war,” the ministry added in a statement published by Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

US military magazine Stripes has admitted that growing North Korean defense cooperation with Russia has given new impetus and shape to the joint war games:

North Korea’s growing military partnership with Russia and the battlefield experience its troops have gained in the war with Ukraine is shaping how U.S. and South Korean forces prepare for a potential conflict on the peninsula, a senior United Nations Command officer said Thursday.

Australian army Lt. Gen. Scott Winter, deputy commander of U.N. Command, said the allies are accounting for Pyongyang’s increased use of technology, its ballistic-missile development and lessons learned by North Korean troops supporting Russia as they prepare for Monday’s start of Ulchi Freedom Shield.

The command is “very conscious” that North Korea has used its relationship with Moscow as an opportunity to test ballistic missile systems and gain contemporary battlefield experience, Winter told reporters during a briefing on the exercise at the Press Center in Seoul.

Meanwhile North Korea has further stated: “It is our consistent principle of ensuring security to respond to a new level of a threat with a new level of a deterrent,” and so the country “will more clearly express its stance on the enemies to cope with any threats and challenges through the responsible and decisive exercise of the right to legitimate self-defense.” https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/north-korea-rages-upcoming-us-drills-rehearsal-aggressive-war

Notice also:

North Korea threatens ‘overwhelming’ response to US-South Korea joint military drills — KCNA

Pyongyang claims the exercise that begins August 17 is not merely ‘defensive’ but rather ‘provocative’, simulating modern warfare, including drone, electronic and cyber operations pic.twitter.com/D9cjx5OcgC

— RT Intl (@RT_on_X) August 14, 2026

North Korea continues to send a message to the USA, and the nations that are located near it, that it is dangerous and does not want to be threatened.

It has also increased ties with Russia. Last Saturday, Ukraine’s president said that North Korea was about to send up to 50,000 troops to support Russia against Ukraine (see https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20260809-zelensky-claims-north-korea-may-deploy-50-000-troops-russia).

The North Korean leadership has long been playing a dangerous game. And while the USA may have costs if North Korea attacked it, the USA is currently the world power with the strongest fortresses, and North Korea is not prophesied to defeat the USA (cf. Daniel 11:39).

That said, the situation between North and South Korea will change. The July-September 2013 edition of CCOG’s Bible News Prophecy magazine had the following comments from me:

Koreans have their own tradition about where they come from:

Korean legends say that Tangun, who lived in the 2300’s B.C., was the father of the Korean civilization. Korea developed by itself until Kija, an exile from China, led about 5,000 followers to Korea in 1122 B.C. He founded a kingdom called Chosen (Hu, Charles Y. Korea. World Book Encyclopedia, 50th edition, Volume 11. Chicago, p. 296)

Chosen is also spelled Chosun and means Morning Calm. One of Japheth’s son had a name that ended with an “n” (Javan) and it may be possible that the Koreans may have partially descended from one of his descendants.

Perhaps I should add that because of prophecies involving “the kings from the east” cooperating at the end (cf. Revelation 16:12; Daniel 11:44), I have long felt that somehow North and South Korea would likely be unified (or at least work more closely together) prior to the return of Jesus Christ. The literal translation of Revelation 16:12 is “the kings of the sunrise” and thus this would seem to have to include Korea—which is amongst the most eastern of the nations.

(The July-September edition of CCOG’s Bible News Prophecy magazine is available as a downloadable PDF: Bible News Prophecy, July-September 2013.)

So, yes, I have long believed that some type of unity will come to the Koreans, prior to the return of Jesus and the establishment of the Kingdom of God.

Getting back to that 2013 article, the following was also in it:

The Koreans Will Be Among the First to Recognize the Falsehood of the Beast

Lest any have the misimpression that the Koreans are not a discerning people, it needs to be understood that the Koreans will be among the first to recognize the falsehood of this European power. But before that, there will likely be increased military cooperation among many of the Asian nations. The Koreans will finally see that the European Beast power, also called “the King of the North” in the Bible, is not something to be worshiped or trusted. Why do we of the Philadelphia remnant of the Church of God believe that? Because there are certain verses in both the Book of Daniel and the Book of Revelation that appear to be discussing East Asian nations and the European Beast power.

Notice from the Book of Daniel:

“40 At the time of the end the king of the South shall attack him; and the king of the North shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter the countries, overwhelm them, and pass through. 41 He shall also enter the Glorious Land, and many countries shall be overthrown; but these shall escape from his hand: Edom, Moab, and the prominent people of Ammon. 42 He shall stretch out his hand against the countries, and the land of Egypt shall not escape. 43 He shall have power over the treasures of gold and silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt; also the Libyans and Ethiopians shall follow at his heels. 44 But news from the east and the north shall trouble him; therefore he shall go out with great fury to destroy and annihilate many. 45 And he shall plant the tents of his palace between the seas and the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and no one will help him (Daniel 11:40-45).

Notice that the end time King of the North (the European Empire ) will overwhelm the King of the South (a Moslem empire), but that those from the east and the north shall trouble the King of the North. This appears to be referring to China and Russia, and apparently other Asian nations (including Korea–which is one of the most “eastern” of all nations). And notice that they will be used to help cause the King of the North to come to his end. And it is likely that by the end, both Koreas would be involved. Korea apparently part of the “kings from the east” or more literally “kings of the sunrise” of Revelation 16:12).

It would seem like Korea is likely to support the coming confederation of the east that will have a 200,000,000 man army:

15 So the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were released to kill a third of mankind. 16 Now the number of the army of the horsemen was two hundred million; I heard the number of them. (Revelation 9:15-16)

This will not turn out well for the participants, including any Koreans (cf. Revelation 19:17-21).

However, war is not the ultimate destiny for most Koreans. Deification is.

Yes, an alliance between Russia and the Koreans will take place.

Yet, despite wars and rumors of war (Matthew 24:4-8), ultimately, there is good news as the Kingdom of God will come and those issues will be gone (Revelation 7:16).

Until then, we will hear of troubles, rumors of wars, wars, and the Great Tribulation. And irrespective of what happens to North Korea, eventually, one of those wars will eliminate the USA (Daniel 11:39; see also USA in Prophecy: The Strongest Fortresses).