Pyongyang, March 13 (KCNA) -- The Foreign Ministry of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea on Sunday issued the following statement:

The Foreign Ministry of the DPRK states as follows over the fact that the U.S. heinous hostile acts against our state have reached a grave phase which can not be overlooked:

Timed to coincide with the large-scale U.S.-south Korea war exercises to be launched on March 13, the U.S., together with its followers, is scheming to coercively call an informal UN Security Council meeting to discuss the non-existent "human rights issue" of the DPRK.

The DPRK bitterly denounces the U.S. vicious "human rights" racket as the most intensive expression of its hostile policy toward the DPRK and categorically rejects it.

We clearly see through the sinister intention of the U.S. again raising a "human rights card" which is little different from a good-for-nothing at present.

It is the inveterate evil practice of the U.S. that whenever it is driven into a tight corner as it can no longer contain the DPRK with the nuclear issue, it would resort to the moves for putting pressure on the latter over "human rights issue" with mobilization of its followers like rabbles. We have already got used to it.

The futile anti-DPRK "human rights" racket of the U.S. only shows that it has been driven to the last moment in the confrontation of strength with the DPRK.

It is a well-known fact that the U.S. has long abused the "human rights issue" as dirty means for interfering in internal affairs of independent sovereign states to bring down their social systems and change their regimes.

The anti-DPRK "human rights" racket by the U.S. and its followers has nothing to do with ensuring genuine human rights, and it is no more than the most politically-motivated hostile means for tarnishing the image of the DPRK and stamping out the genuine rights and interests of the Korean people.

The present reality once again teaches the immutable truth that the DPRK-U.S. showdown is not just the confrontation of power but the one of ideology and social system and the DPRK should settle accounts with the U.S. imperialists to the last only with idea and arms.

It is the invariable stand of the Korean people toward the U.S. and other enemies that they have to mercilessly punish the U.S. imperialists totally denying the sovereignty of our state and its socialist system and thus make them pay dearly without fail.

Human rights precisely mean sovereignty, and it is the legitimate right of a sovereign state to use every possible means to defend its sovereignty.

The DPRK solemnly declares once again that it will take the toughest counteraction against the most vicious hostile plots of the U.S. and its followers to thoroughly defend the national sovereignty and rights and interests. -0-

www.kcna.kp (Juche112.3.13.)