PYONGYANG - Pyongyang issued another warning Saturday as the United States and Republic of Korea (ROK) started a four-day joint military drill in waters west of the divided Korean Peninsula.

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The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) will deal "a merciless military counter-attack" at any provocative act of intruding into its territorial waters, the official Rodong Sinmun said in a commentary.

The Korean People's Army's counteraction is "a legitimate exercise of the right to self-defence taken to defend the dignity and sovereignty of the DPRK," said the article.

The commentary accused ROK of intending to "shirk off their responsibility for the serious military provocation and justify their scheme for confrontation with the DPRK and moves to ignite a war against it."

The high-profile war games, involving the nuclear-powered US aircraft carrier George Washington, came only five days after an exchange of artillery fire between South Korea and the DPRK, which killed four people.

DPRK said earlier that the military drill was pushing the Korean Peninsula "to the brink of war."