North Korean propagandists decried the start of large-scale U.S.-ROK military drills on Monday, calling them practice to “invade” and warning of a “military response” to the “hostile” exercises.

But despite the criticism in external-facing outlets, the DPRK government and higher-level state media have yet to comment on the Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) drills since they kicked off.

UFS marks the first time the U.S. and South Korea have held large-scale field training exercises since 2018, when the two sides suspended the drills to support diplomacy with Pyongyang and later due to COVID-19. The 9-day drills are defensive in nature