North Korea will increase its military deterrence to ensure its security against the US’ nuclear arsenal, its state media reported on Friday.
Comments from North Korea
The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) quoted a “military commentator” proclaiming that the North “will continue military action to bolster up the deterrence and ensure the strategic security in the Korean peninsula and the region.”
The statement from Pyongyang comes after the US test-launched the Minuteman III ICBM from the Vandenberg base in California on Wednesday. A military delegation from South Korea was also present at the test site.
The commentator claimed that the participation of “puppet South Korean military gangsters” in the US’ demonstration of its “extended deterrence commitment…clearly shows who is the target of the US nuclear and strategic weapons.”
The official also said that the recent military moves against the North, including the landing of US nuclear strategic bombers in South Korea, “are extremely provocative and reckless hostile acts that unilaterally escalate the military tension in the Korean peninsula.”
They further noted that the US’ nuclear arms buildup is intensifying amid the “ever-escalating large-scale armed conflicts” in Europe and the Middle East. “This cannot be construed otherwise than a dangerous scheme to attain military supremacy with the actual use of nuclear weapons,” the official stated.
💬 FM Sergey #Lavrov: Like our North Korean friends, we are seriously concerned about the US, Japan & South Korea’s growing military activity in the region. We are striving to propose constructive alternatives to the escalation of tensions here.
— MFA Russia 🇷🇺 (@mfa_russia) October 20, 2023
🇷🇺🇰🇵 #RussiaDPRK https://t.co/VUp4wvUi9V pic.twitter.com/c9uNBKQim8
The news agency further cited the official warning that North Korea’s armed forces are “keeping themselves fully ready to counter any hostile threat to its sovereignty and security and interests” and “watching the enemy’s moves.”
“The armed forces of [North Korea] are filled with the determination to faithfully fulfill their constitutional obligations for defending the national sovereignty and territorial integrity and the rights and interests of the people by responding to the reckless military provocations of war maniacs with prompt, overwhelming and decisive counteraction,” the official concluded.
Comments from South Korea
In response, South Korea’s Unification Ministry, which overlooks inter-Korean affairs, said that the latest remarks from Pyongyang raised the question of whether the secretive regime was preparing to justify another military “provocation.”
“It is clear that the current heightened tensions on the Korean peninsula resulted from North Korea’s futile nuclear development and reckless military provocations,” deputy ministry spokesperson Kim In-ae said.
US-South Korea Military Cooperation
The militaries of South Korea and the US have frequently carried out joint military exercises. In March, they conducted Operation Freedom Shield (FS) — their largest joint military drill in years, despite the North’s threats of unprecedented military action in response.
The joint drill focused on countering North Korea’s aggression, lessons learned from recent conflicts, and dealing with the changing security environment.