KARACHI, Pakistan

North Korea slammed the US, Japan, and France on Tuesday over a recent joint naval drill, calling it an attempt "to revive their militaristic invasion ambitions."

In a commentary, the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) also accused Japan of "threatening the balance of power in the Asia-Pacific region and creating a new conflict structure."

The joint exercise was conducted by the three allies earlier this month in waters near the Philippines, involving American and French aircraft carriers and a Japanese warship.

"The reality of deploying a de facto Japanese aircraft carrier to a distant location unrelated to its defense-only posture and joining forces with foreign invasion forces indicates that militarists' overseas invasion ambitions have entered an implementation state," the KCNA said.