North Korea accused the United States and South Korea of pushing states of capabilities to the “brink of nuclear war,” vowing to continue to strengthen self-defense capabilities.
“America’s belligerent moves have pushed military tension on the Korean peninsula and Northeast Asia, which is very unstable, closer to the brink of a nuclear war,” the North’s foreign ministry said in a statement. Announced on June 26.
According to the agency, the United States is “using hostile acts that are more worrisome than ever to infringe upon the sovereignty and security” of North Korea this year. The situation has reached a point that Pyongyang cannot ignore.
North Korea warned that if a conflict broke out on the peninsula, it would “quickly become a world war, an unprecedented thermowar”, creating “the most catastrophic and irreversible consequences” for the country’s regional and global peace and security.
Pyongyang will continue to strengthen further its “self-defense capabilities to defend its sovereignty” unless the US withdraws its “hostile policy and persistent military threats” against the North.
KCNA also said that about 120,000 North Korean workers and students marched in Pyongyang on June 25 to protest Washington, carrying banners warning “US territory is within the range of North Korea” and ” America is the destroyer of peace.”
The United States and South Korea have not commented on the warning from North Korea.
The warning comes amid a recent escalation of just on the Korean peninsula. AT THE END OF MAY, the US and South Korea held the largest live-fire exercise ever, with a scenario of responding to an “all-out attack” from North Korea, lasting until mid-June.
North Korea has repeatedly military the joint US-South Korea exercises, seeing them as evidence that the alliance is hostile and wants to change the regime of Pyongyang. Washington and Seoul insist the drills are defensive in nature.
South Korea said on June 15 that North Korea had fired two ballistic missiles into the East Sea in succession. Previously, on May 31, Pyongyang launched a rocket carrying a military satellite into space, but it failed and fell into the sea. The United States, Japan and South Korea strongly condemn North Korea’s move.
