[ad_1]
A government spokesman said that Pyongyang is “genuinely concerned” about the “abnormal” response from the White House.
North Korea strikes back at U.S. criticism of its test Submarine-launched ballistic missile This week, it was said that it was exercising its right of self-defense and that the weapon was not specifically targeted at the United States.
The comments by an unidentified spokesperson of the North Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs came as the United Nations Security Council held an emergency closed-door meeting on the launch at the request of the United States and Britain.
The new ballistic missile launched from a submarine on Tuesday was the first test of such a weapon by North Korea in two years, and it was also the most important display of military strength since President Joe Biden took office.
Washington condemned the launch, emphasized how North Korea will continue to expand its military capabilities while the nuclear diplomacy is frozen, and called on Pyongyang to “conduct continuous and substantive dialogue.”
In a comment made by Pyongyang’s official North Korean Central News Agency, a North Korean spokesperson said that its recent test will not pose a direct threat to neighboring countries, and Washington does not need to worry about a weapon that is not specifically directed at the United States.
The spokesperson stated that Pyongyang was “genuinely concerned” about the “abnormal” US response to its legitimate exercise of defense rights, and described Washington’s efforts to convene a UN Security Council meeting as a “provocative move”. “
The spokesperson said: “During the recent test launch, we did not consider the United States and did not target it, but this work has been planned purely for the defense of the country.”
The spokesperson pointed out that the United States already possesses a submarine-launched ballistic missile system and expressed that it has exposed its double standards by criticizing North Korea for pursuing the same weapons. The spokesperson said that this will only make North Korea doubt the sincerity of the Biden administration’s statement that it is not hostile to North Korea.
After the months of calm ended in September, North Korea has been intensifying its weapons testing, and at the same time it has put forward a conditional peace proposal to Seoul and renewed pressure on South Korea to try to get what it wants from the United States.
The nuclear talks between Washington and Pyongyang have been stalled for more than two years because of differences in the exchange and release of severe US-led sanctions against North Korea and North Korea’s denuclearization steps.
Since the conflict with the Trump administration, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has vowed to strengthen his nuclear deterrent in response to what he calls American pressure and threats.
So far, his administration has rejected the Biden administration’s open-ended proposal to resume negotiations, saying that Washington must abandon its “hostile policy.” North Korea mainly refers to sanctions and joint US-South Korea military exercises.
For many years, North Korea has been working hard to obtain the ability to launch nuclear weapons from submarines. Submarine missiles are the next key component in the arsenal that includes various weapons, including weapons with a potential range to reach the United States.
Nonetheless, experts say that this severely sanctioned country will need several years, a lot of resources, and major technological improvements to build at least a few submarines that can sail quietly at sea and perform strikes reliably.
Biden’s special envoy for North Korea, Kim Sung, will meet with US allies in Seoul over the weekend to discuss the prospect of resuming negotiations with North Korea.
[ad_2]
Source link