WASHINGTON, March 9 (Xinhua) -- The United States on Monday defended its annual military exercises with South Korea while accusing the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) of making "bellicose rhetoric."

    "Our military exercises with the Republic of (South) Korea are not a threat to the North," State Department acting spokesman Robert Wood told reporters.

    "What is a threat to the region is this bellicose rhetoric coming out of the North," Wood added.

    The DPRK vowed earlier in the day to take strict retaliatory measures over any slight offensives from the United States, Japan and South Korea as the United States and South Korean military launched a massive joint military exercises.

    Pyongyang warned on Thursday that it will not assure the safety of South Korean passenger planes flying over the territory east of South Korea's coastal line on the Sea of Japan.

    In preliminary response, the U.S. State Department's acting deputy spokesman Gordon Duguid said Friday "North Korea's belligerent rhetoric is unwarranted and counterproductive to the goal of more constructive engagement."

    On nuclear issues on the Korean Peninsula, Wood said "What we're trying to do, as I've said many times, is to get the North back to the table within the six-party framework, denuclearize the Korean Peninsula."

    The six-party talks, involving the DPRK, the United States, South Korea, China, Japan and Russia, have been focusing on the settlement of nuclear issues on the Korean Peninsular since August 2003.