Politics

A spokesman for the Foreign Ministry of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea released the following press statement on May 20:

The US Nuclear Security Agency recently announced that the US conducted a sub-critical nuclear test, the third of its kind under the present US administration.

This is a very dangerous act of further upsetting the extremely worsening global security environment and exerting a seriously negative impact on the strategic balance among major nuclear powers.

By doing so, the US has revealed that its strategic goal is to militarily control other countries with an unchallenged nuclear edge and that the present administration's commitment to lessening the danger of strategic misjudgement and easing military tension by reducing its dependence on nuclear weapons is nothing but rhetoric.

The US is not qualified to talk about a nuclear war threat from other country as it is the world's biggest nuclear weapons state and only user of nuclear weapons which conducted nuclear tests more than any other countries in the world.

Last year, the US deployed a strategic nuclear submarine on the Korean peninsula for the first time in several decades. It has frequently put into operation the "Nuclear Consultative Group" plotting to use nuclear weapons against the DPRK and is planning to stage actual nuclear operation exercises with the ROK in August.

What should never be overlooked is the US recent sub-critical nuclear test's impact on the military security situation of the Korean peninsula as it adds new tension to the military showdown among nuclear weapons states and foments the international nuclear arms race.

To cope with the strategic instability in the region and the rest of the world being caused by the US unilateral action, the DPRK cannot but reconsider the measures necessary for the improvement of the overall nuclear deterrence posture within the range of its vested sovereign right and possible options.

It will not tolerate the creation of strategic imbalance and security vacuum on the Korean peninsula, but firmly defend its security, rights and interests through powerful deterrent action against the evolving nuclear threat from the US.