North Korea says joint military exercises between South Korea and the United States are a prelude to a U.S. attack on North Korea.

In a statement Saturday, an unnamed North Korean military spokesman said the drills, which begin later this month, are designed to compel North Korea to end its nuclear program. 

North Korea's nuclear capability was the key issue at six-party disarmament talks held in Beijing in recent weeks.

Disagreement led negotiators to call for a three-week recess of the talks.

At the beginning of discussions in July, chief U.S. negotiator Christopher Hill repeated the assurance that Washington has absolutely no intention of attacking North Korea. 

Some information for this report provided by Reuters.