North Korea slammed U.S. Forces Korea(USFK) after it presented an upside-down map of East Asia for educational purposes, accusing Washington of targeting Pyongyang and Beijing as a part of its plans to invade Asia.

An article carried by the North's state-run Korean Central News Agency(KCNA) on Saturday protested the USFK's "sinister intention" to realize its hegemonic ambition in Asia.

The article said the upside-down map is evidence that the U.S. troops' expanded strategic flexibility has become aggressive, demonstrating that Washington's followers – South Korea, Japan, Taiwan and the Philippines – are positioned to besiege the North and China.

The article also lambasted the map for implying with use of arrows stretching out from the USFK base in Pyeongtaek that Seoul would have to serve as the outpost and launch base if ever war breaks out in Asia.

The reported map earlier fueled speculation that the U.S. may be moving toward adjusting the role of USFK in the wake of the Donald Trump administration's elevated deterrence against China as Washington's top priority in its Indo-Pacific strategy.