Kwon Jong Gun, director-general of the Department of American Affairs of the DPRK Foreign Ministry, released the following statement on August 11:

"A fool becomes a greater fool with age." This saying goes to the south Korean authorities.

It is well-attested by the south Korean authorities which changed the name of the joint military exercise from its original "Alliance 19-2" to "south Korea-US Combined Command Post Exercise in the second half" and announced that it starts its full-scale exercise from August 11.

It is a miscalculation if they think that the change of the name of the exercise can alter its aggressive nature or that we would make it pass off quietly.

Shit, though hard and dry, still stinks even if it is wrapped in a flowered cloth.

What cannot be overlooked is the fact that the Blue House made a flurry of activity, calling an "emergency meeting of concerned ministers" even at a time of no war over the DPRK's regular measures for conventional weapons modernization.

Last time, it became a global laughing stock when it lost its head because it had failed to calculate properly the range of the power demonstration firing of our army. Instead of drawing a lesson from it, it intruded where it is not wanted and flounders even missing a good sleep at dawn. It is really a sight to see.

Such an attitude of the Blue House might be seen to the eyes of the south Korean "people" as it being a "master" of putting security in good order. But we see this as nothing more than a shy dog barking more wildly.

With regard to our test for developing the conventional weapons, even the US president made a remark which in effect recognizes the self-defensive rights of a sovereign state, saying that it is a small missile test which a lot of countries do. But the south Korean authorities call the building of our self-defensive armed forces as a military tension while urging to stop it. Then, how can the south Korean authorities have a cheek to say such a nonsense? There is neither rhyme nor reason about it.

Moreover, we now stand in an extraordinary situation when the south Korean authorities defiantly staged an aggressive war exercise against us. In the vortex of this, they rather run wild on their part trying to tarnish the DPRK's image. It is indeed a case of a thief calls "Stop thief!"

It is only regrettable that our counterpart falls short of standard as it is now.

If the south Korean authorities think they can tide over this crisis by simply changing the name of the military exercise, it is really a big mistake.

Though we are to enter into a dialogue in future as the currents flow in favour of dialogue, they had better keep in mind that this dialogue would be held strictly between the DPRK and the US, not between the north and the south.

Given that the military exercise clearly puts us as an enemy in its concept, they should think that an inter-Korean contact itself will be difficult to be made unless they put an end to such a military exercise or before they make a plausible excuse or an explanation in a sincere manner for conducting the military exercise.

We will certainly settle this on all accounts and closely watch the act of the south Korean authorities.

If the south Korean authorities let loose a blast to save face even a little by standing such a funny fellow like Jong Kyong Du again, it would be a foolish act of putting out the fire by oil.

It already went wrong for the Blue House to have a sound sleep at daybreak as it notoriously keeps security in good orders.