On Monday, North Korea’s state media criticised the United States’ (US) recent decision to terminate the pact with South Korea that curbed Seoul’s development of ballistic missiles, calling it another example of Washington’s hypocrisy and warned that it could lead to further instability on the Korean Peninsula.
In the recent summit meeting held on May 21 between Korean President Moon Jae-in and US President Joe Biden, following increasing security threats from the North, the US decided to drop the longstanding limitations on South Korean missile development that were imposed in 1979. In the absence of these restrictions on missile ranges, analysts believe that Seoul is now likely to prioritise the development of intermediate-range ballistic missiles with a maximum range of 1,000-5,000 kilometres, capable of reaching targets far beyond the Korean Peninsula. Although South Korea has made no official plans on the matter, it is also being speculated that the country could try developing longer-range submarine-launched ballistic missiles or conduct research on hypersonic weapons.
In response to this news, Kim Myong Chol, described by Pyongyang’s Korean Central News Agency as an international affairs critic, warned that lifting the restrictions would raise tensions on the already volatile Peninsula and trigger an arms race. “The termination of the ‘missile guidelines’ clearly shows who is behind the escalation of tension on the Korean peninsula...The termination step is a stark reminder of the US hostile policy toward the DPRK and its shameful double-dealing...The US act of giving free ‘missile rein’ to South Korea is all meant to spark off arms race on the Korean peninsula and in its surrounding areas and check the development of the DPRK,” he said. He further added: “It is a serious blunder for it to pressurize the DPRK by creating an asymmetric imbalance in and around the Korean peninsula as this may lead to the acute and unstable situation on the Korean peninsula now technically at war.”
This is the DPRK’s first response to the US-South Korea summit and is considered significant because it hints that North Korea may be unwilling to return to the negotiating table over the development of its nuclear defence plans. However, since the latest statement is attributed to an individual commentator and not a government body, it is hoped that Pyongyang may still want to leave room for potential diplomacy with Washington.
This is not Pyongyang’s first threat to Washington. Earlier this month, North Korea warned that Washington will face “a very grave situation” after President Joe Biden vowed to work with other world leaders to address the issue of Pyongyang’s nuclear programme. In response, Kwon Jong Gun, the Director-General of North Korea Foreign Ministry’s North America Department, said in a statement that Biden’s comments “clearly reflect his intent to keep enforcing the hostile policy toward the DPRK as it had been done by the US for over half a century.” He added: “It is certain that the US chief executive made a big blunder in the light of the present-day viewpoint… Now that the keynote of the US new DPRK policy has become clear, we will be compelled to press for corresponding measures, and with time the US will find itself in a very grave situation.”
The latest development may make it harder for the US to negotiate for peace on the Korean Peninsula, something that several administrations have tried to achieve.
North Korea Accuses US of Hostility For Allowing South Korea to End Missile Guidelines
On Monday, North Korea said that the US allowing South Korea to build more powerful missiles was an example of American hostility towards Pyongyang.
May 31, 2021
SOURCE: REUTERS