Spokesperson for Foreign Ministry of DPRK

Releases Press Statement

Pyongyang, December 2 (KCNA) -- A spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry of
the DPRK on Saturday released the following press statement titled "It is the
sovereign right of the DPRK to firmly defend the state's sovereignty, security and
interests from hostile forces' encroachment":
As already clarified, the DPRK's satellite launch is an essential process in
building up the country's defence capability and an important step conducive to
improving the security environment on the Korean peninsula as an occasion of
bringing a new phase in the military activities of the armed forces of the DPRK to
firmly defend its security.
Nevertheless, the U.S. has perpetrated acts of encroaching upon sovereignty
and hostile acts of taking sanctions against the DPRK by rallying its followers
such as Japan, the Republic of Korea and Australia, while unreasonably pulling
up the DPRK over its exercise of just and legitimate sovereignty.
Explicitly speaking, the object of sanctions is not the DPRK which has exercised
its deserved sovereign right but the U.S. and its servants keen to deprive
sovereign states of their legitimate rights, wantonly violating regulations of the
international law including the UN Charter.
The unilateral and illegal sanctions of the U.S. seriously violating the UN Charter
with sovereign equality, non-interference in internal affairs and respect for the
right to self-determination as its core and other principles of international law are
the main factors undermining the international order based on equity and
multilateralism.
The illegal sanctions racket of the U.S. and its followers is nothing but a
"sedative" to calm down the growing uneasiness and impatience over the ever-
declining U.S.-led hegemonic order, and can not have any effective effect on the
DPRK's exercise of sovereign right at present and in the future.
In the present world where the U.S. is precisely being regarded as injustice and
evil, the accusations and sanctions of the U.S. only show a proof of the justness

of the line chosen by the DPRK and an expression of the strong force of our
state.
The U.S. should respect the sovereign decision of the DPRK to freely exercise
the right to space development any UN member nations can enjoy, neither
interfere in nor obstruct it, and only doing so is a correct choice capable of
removing even a part of the present external crisis facing the U.S.
In order to defend the sovereignty and interests of the state from the hostile
forces' illegal encroachment on the sovereignty of our state, ensure peace and
security and protect the right and interests of its citizens, the Foreign Ministry of
the DPRK declares that it will apply countermeasures to individuals, institutions
and organizations of the U.S. and its vassal forces involved in the drawing and
execution of the sanction policy toward the DPRK, according to the Law of the
DPRK on Countermeasures in coordination with its relevant institutions.
No matter what others may say, the DPRK will proudly and perfectly exercise its
sovereign right including satellite launch and make every possible effort to
defend the sovereignty, security and interests of the state and ensure peace and
security of the Korean Peninsula and the region from all threats and obstructions
from outside. -0-