North Korea Denounces US-South Korea Nuclear Group Meeting
Pyongyang has strongly condemned the recent Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG) meeting between the United States and South Korea, where the objective of North Korea’s denuclearization was reportedly reaffirmed. A spokesperson for North Korea’s Foreign Ministry characterized discussions about dismantling its nuclear arsenal as “absurdity” and “empty fantasy.”
Criticism of US-South Korea Cooperation
In a statement released on June 14th, the North Korean Foreign Ministry spokesperson asserted that the “unilateral nuclear confrontation with the US and the impure ambition of Western countries to impose their will on sovereign states at the international stage are being harshly condemned and rejected.” The spokesperson issued a stark warning, stating that “the repetitiveness of the provocative acts will lead to irreversible consequences.”
The spokesperson further elaborated that the “senseless anti-North Korea slander and nuclear blackmail orchestrated by the US and its followers will have no impact on our status as a nuclear weapons state, which is irreversible.” The statement concluded that “denuclearization” is ultimately a “conclusion that cannot be reversed.”
Justification for Nuclear Deterrence
Addressing the mention of joint military exercises and nuclear weapons use between the US and South Korea, the spokesperson declared, “We fully acknowledge the necessity and urgency of strengthening our self-defense capabilities to protect the nation’s security.” The spokesperson emphasized that the “establishment of a nuclear defense system is a legitimate measure to curb external interference and threats, and to safeguard the nation’s sovereignty and security, thereby contributing to regional peace and stability.”
The statement reiterated North Korea’s firm stance, asserting, “No matter how vehemently the US, Japan, and South Korea may insist, they will never be able to change the current status of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea as a nuclear state.” The spokesperson added, “No one will be able to revive ‘denuclearization,’ which has been definitively abandoned in the flow of history.”
Background of NCG Meeting
The NCG meeting, held in Seoul on June 11th, resulted in a joint statement that reaffirmed a “common objective for the denuclearization of North Korea.” This development follows North Korea’s previous criticism of the US administration’s approval of arms sales to South Korea, which Pyongyang described as a “provocative act of escalating military buildup.”
