Pyongyang, April 24 (KCNA) -- The chief of the Foreign News Section of the Department of Press and Information of the DPRK Foreign Ministry issued the following press statement on Wednesday:

A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State on April 22 talked about international counteraction, terming the DPRK's military drills for self-defence a "violation of the resolution" of the UN Security Council and "threats".

We express strong discontent with the remarks made by the spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State and strongly urge the U.S. to be prudent in its words and deeds and stop going farther along the wrong and dangerous road.

The war drills frequently staged by the U.S. and the ROK under the unreasonable and impudent pretext to steadily deteriorate the security environment of the DPRK and the situation of the surrounding region can never be overlooked, and they constitute a serious threat to be contained with a strong hand.

The combined tactical drill simulating a nuclear counterattack conducted by the DPRK's armed forces is a legitimate exercise of the right to self-defence to deter the outbreak of a war as it sent a clear warning to the U.S. and the ROK unilaterally escalating the military tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

It is essential to take serious note of the negative impact of the on-going U.S.-ROK joint military drills on the regional situation and clearly discern who seeks confrontation and aggravates the situation.

There is a reason why the situation on the Korean Peninsula has reached the present phase.

We resolutely oppose the U.S. behavior of forming exclusive military blocs and pursuing inter-camp confrontation to violate strategic security of other countries, seized by the Cold War way of thinking.

The irresponsible and worrisome muscle-flexing of the U.S. and the ROK pushing the situation on the Korean Peninsula to an unpredictable phase should be stopped at once.

The DPRK will never overlook such habitual abnormal behavior as terming its bolstering of the capabilities for legitimate self-defence, which is indispensable for defending itself, illegal. And it will firmly defend its sovereign rights and legitimate interests with stronger and more evident actions.

The DPRK will never cave in to the U.S. threat and pressure.

The international community should grasp what complicates the Korean peninsula issue and send a clear signal to the U.S. and the ROK, the root cause of ever-escalating regional antagonism and contradiction, to stop at once their provocative confrontational moves. -0-

www.kcna.kp (Juche113.4.24.)