Speaking before the UN Disarmament Conference in Geneva, Ri Su-yong said the military exercises that kicked off Monday were "unprecedentedly provocative in nature" and could spark a war.
"The DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) cannot but bolster its nuclear deterrent capability to cope with the ever-increasing nuclear threat of the US," he said.
"Now the DPRK has the power of deterring the US and conducting a pre-emptive strike as well if necessary."
The annual joint exercises always trigger a surge in military tensions and warlike rhetoric on the divided peninsula.
North Korea fired two short-range Scud missiles into the sea off its east coast on Monday, and South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported Tuesday that Pyongyang may be readying to test fire a medium-range missile.
Missile tests have long been a preferred North Korean method of expressing anger and displeasure with what it views as confrontational behaviour by the South and its allies.
Seoul and Washington insist the exercises are defence-based in nature, but they are regularly condemned by Pyongyang as provocative rehearsals for invasion.
AFP
http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/124388.aspx
3/3/15
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North Korea warns of toughest measures in response to US-South Korean drills...
ReplyDeleteNorth Korea condemned the United States and South Korea on Tuesday for staging joint military drills, an annual exercise usually sparking protest from North Korean authorities.
The North's Committee for Peaceful Reunification of Korea, handling Pyongyang's ties with Seoul, said that by launching war drills against the North together with the US, "the opportunity for North-South dialogue and improvement of relations has already passed and there will only be a final stand-off by force".
A committee statement warned of "the toughest measures" to retaliate against the exercises, including "all ground, sea, underwater, air and cyber-striking means", adding that the country's armed forces "are fully ready" to strike their designated targets...............http://tass.ru/en/world/780760
3/3/15