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 April 24:

A spokesperson for the US 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 US Department of State and strongly urge the US 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 US 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 an exercise of the legitimate right to self-defence to deter the outbreak of a war as it sent a clear warning to the US 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 ongoing US-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 US behaviour of forming exclusive military blocs and pursuing confrontation between camps to compromise strategic security of other countries, seized by the Cold War way of thinking.

The irresponsible and worrisome muscle-flexing of the US 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 behaviour as terming illegal its bolstering of the capabilities for legitimate self-defence, which is indispensable for defending itself. 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 US threat and pressure.

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