The DPRK Ministry of Defense strongly condemned the joint statement following the meeting between the leaders of the United States and South Korea on the sidelines of the NATO summit, as well as the new document on the guidelines for the work of the Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG) of Seoul and Washington, the DPRK Central News Agency (KCNA) reports.
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Earlier, the leaders of the United States and South Korea met on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Washington and issued a joint statement where they reaffirmed their commitment to extended containment of the DPRK with all available US forces.
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“Our army will comprehensively guarantee the security of the state with powerful readiness to deter nuclear war,” the DPRK Ministry of Defense headlined its commentary.
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The agency said the signing of the NCG guidelines document by the US and South Korea showed a “nefarious design” to accelerate preparations for nuclear war against the DPRK and condemned the move as provocative and threatening security in the region.
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The statement said that the Departments of Defense of the United States and the Republic of Korea signed the corresponding document “Guiding Principles of the United States and the Republic of Korea on Nuclear Deterrence and Nuclear Operations on the Korean Peninsula.” It updates the operating principles of the Nuclear Advisory Group (NCG).
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“The DPRK Ministry of Defense strongly condemns and rejects the reckless provocative acts of the United States and the ROK, which with extremely annoying and malicious rhetoric and provocative actions are pushing military tension in the region to the limit,” the DPRK Ministry of Defense said in a statement.
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The statement from the U.S. and South Korean leaders also indicated that NCG contributes to the alliance’s efforts to “ensure joint planning and execution of non-nuclear support” by South Korea for U.S. nuclear contingency operations, and contributes to the ongoing improvement of the two countries’ joint exercises and training activities.
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“The nuclear threat of our opponents, which is growing offensively and insanely every day, and the dangerous security situation in the region that has arisen because of it, urgently require further increasing the DPRK’s readiness for nuclear deterrence,” the department said.
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The DPRK Ministry of Defense noted that the “only” reaction to the actions of Seoul and Washington can only be “confronting them,” and strictly warned the United States and South Korea, demanding that they stop provocations.
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“No one can imagine the price that will have to be paid if this warning is ignored,” the department concluded.
