Kim Yo Jong, vice department director of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea, made public the following stand through the Korean Central News Agency on April 28:

South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol’s recent visit to Washington was an occasion for us to have much clearer understanding about the root-cause and physical entity disturbing peace and security of the Korean Peninsula and the region.

After the summit on April 26, the chief executives of the U.S. and south Korea issued the so-called "Washington Declaration", specifying the ways to strengthen the "extended deterrence", thus stipulating their choice and will to act against the DPRK.

The "Washington Declaration" fabricated by the U.S. and south Korean authorities is a typical product of their extreme anti-DPRK hostile policy reflecting the most hostile and aggressive will of action. As such, it will only result in making peace and security of Northeast Asia and the world be exposed to more serious danger, and it is an act that can thus never be welcomed.

The formation of "Nuclear Consultative Group", the regular and continuous deployment of U.S. nuclear strategic assets, and the frequent military exercises made the regional politico-military situation unable to extricate itself from the currents of instability. This provides us with an environment in which we are compelled to take more decisive action in order to deal with the new security environment.

Another thing that we cannot let pass nor overlook is the fact that the chief executive of the enemy state officially and personally used the word "the end of regime" under the eyes of the world.

Would we simply regard it as the man’s senility?

It may be taken as a nonsensical remark from the person in his dotage who is not at all capable of taking the responsibility for security and the future of the U.S., an old man with no future, as it is too much for him to serve out two-year remainder of his office term.

But when we consider that this expression was personally used by the president of the U.S., our most hostile adversary, it is threatening rhetoric for which he should be prepared for far too great an after-storm that will not be easy for us to deliver.

Obsessed with overconfidence in strength, he was too miscalculating and irresponsibly brave.

This time we reconfirmed the hostility of the rulers and military warmongers of Washington and Seoul towards our country, which cannot be interpreted otherwise and has become too obvious. This opportunity gave us a clear answer as to what we should do in the future and for what we should be fully prepared.

So serious is the development of the situation.

Yoon Suk Yeol, this time again, said that he will build the capability of overwhelming response including "south Korea’s three-axis defence system" and adopt the punitive posture. He also made it clear that the "south Korea"-U.S. joint exercises and training will be more intensive.

It would be a bit hard to understand the mentality of such a fool that is so grateful for getting a nominal "declaration" as an "offering" from the U.S. and expresses "his absolute trust in the U.S. firm commitment to the extended deterrence". However, we will keep watching to what extent he will go testing his mettle, putting the security into crisis with his incompetence.

The pipe dream of the U.S. and south Korea will henceforth be faced with the entity of more powerful strength.

We are convinced once again of the fact that the enhancement of the nuclear war deterrent, especially the second mission of the nuclear war deterrent, should be brought to further perfection.

We know exactly what we are supposed to do.

The more the enemies are dead set on staging nuclear war exercises, and the more nuclear assets they deploy in the vicinity of the Korean peninsula, the stronger the exercise of our right to self-defence will become in direct proportion to them.

Rodong Sinmun