North Korea vowed on Sunday to bolster its “self-defensive deterrence” saying a military exercise launched by South Korea and the United States could jeopardise nuclear disarmament talks. “If the aggressors ignite a war on this land, the army and people of the DPRK (North Korea) will resolutely retaliate against them with merciless deadly blows,” the Korean National Peace Committee said in a statement.North Korea will bolster its “self-defensive deterrence for defending the dignity and sovereignty of the Korean nation to cope with the provocative moves of the US and south Korean warmongers,” it said. The North has used the word “self-defensive deterrence” in referring to atomic bombs since its nuclear test last October. The warning came as the week-long RSOI (Reception, Staging, Onward Movement and Integration) and Foal Eagle exercise began across South Korea Sunday.