DPRK Foreign Ministry Official Issues Press

Statement

Pyongyang, April 24 (KCNA) -- The chief of the Foreign News Section of the
Department of Press and Information of the DPRK Foreign Ministry issued the
following press statement on Wednesday:
A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State on April 22 talked about
international counteraction, terming the DPRK's military drills for self-defence a
"violation of the resolution" of the UN Security Council and "threats".
We express strong discontent with the remarks made by the spokesperson for
the U.S. Department of State and strongly urge the U.S. to be prudent in its
words and deeds and stop going farther along the wrong and dangerous road.
The war drills frequently staged by the U.S. and the ROK under the
unreasonable and impudent pretext to steadily deteriorate the security
environment of the DPRK and the situation of the surrounding region can never
be overlooked, and they constitute a serious threat to be contained with a strong
hand.
The combined tactical drill simulating a nuclear counterattack conducted by the
DPRK's armed forces is a legitimate exercise of the right to self-defence to deter
the outbreak of a war as it sent a clear warning to the U.S. and the ROK
unilaterally escalating the military tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
It is essential to take serious note of the negative impact of the on-going U.S.-
ROK joint military drills on the regional situation and clearly discern who seeks
confrontation and aggravates the situation.
There is a reason why the situation on the Korean Peninsula has reached the
present phase.
We resolutely oppose the U.S. behavior of forming exclusive military blocs and
pursuing inter-camp confrontation to violate strategic security of other countries,
seized by the Cold War way of thinking.
The irresponsible and worrisome muscle-flexing of the U.S. and the ROK
pushing the situation on the Korean Peninsula to an unpredictable phase should
be stopped at once.

The DPRK will never overlook such habitual abnormal behavior as terming its
bolstering of the capabilities for legitimate self-defence, which is indispensable
for defending itself, illegal. And it will firmly defend its sovereign rights and
legitimate interests with stronger and more evident actions.
The DPRK will never cave in to the U.S. threat and pressure.
The international community should grasp what complicates the Korean
peninsula issue and send a clear signal to the U.S. and the ROK, the root cause
of ever-escalating regional antagonism and contradiction, to stop at once their
provocative confrontational moves. -0-