A spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea issued the following statement titled "The DPRK will further intensify its practical efforts to deter the military threat of the hostile forces and maintain the balance of forces in the region" on Friday:

The test-fire of the latest ICBM Hwasongpho-19 recently conducted by the DPRK constitutes a legitimate and just exercise of the right of a sovereign state to self-defence from A to Z as it is a part of the practical counteraction to the provocative reckless moves of the hostile forces to openly destroy peace and stability in the region around the Korean peninsula while blatantly challenging the sovereignty, security and interests of the DPRK.

However, the U.S. and its vassal forces revealed their provocative intention to convene a meeting of the UNSC with an aim to seriously encroach upon the DPRK’s right to self-defence, not content with staging joint air drills of aggressive nature on the Korean peninsula and in its vicinity while viciously slandering its reasonable exercise of sovereignty.

The Foreign Ministry of the DPRK expresses serious concern over the hostile forces’ confrontational behavior to create a critical situation against the security environment of the DPRK by means of illegal double standards and sophism just like a guilty party filling the suit first. It strongly denounces and rejects this as a wanton violation of the UN Charter and other recognized international laws with sovereign equality and non-interference in internal affairs as their core and a grave challenge to international peace and security.

There is no such place on earth as the Korean peninsula where touch-and-go and acute nuclear confrontation continues and unilateral military provocations against a sovereign state and extremely malicious and provocative rhetorical threats like the "end of regime" are rampant.

This year alone, the U.S. and the ROK have further detailed a dangerous nuclear war scenario while breeding various sorts of war plots more than 20 times to use nuclear weapons against the DPRK, including the third meeting of the "Nuclear Consultative Group" and the 5th meeting of the "Extended Deterrence Strategy and Consultation Group".

According to it, various strategic assets of the U.S. including the Theodore Roosevelt nuclear carrier task force, Bermont nuclear submarine and B-52H nuclear strategic bomber were deployed on the Korean peninsula and in its vicinity more than ten times and various forms of war drills against the DPRK including "Freedom Shield", "Ulji Freedom Shield", "Freedom Edge", "Iron Mace", "Nuclear Consultative Group simulation drill" and "Freedom Flag" were staged without a break this year.

The reckless military confrontation racket kicked up by the hostile forces far beyond the sphere of stereotyped threat becomes a grave challenge to the DPRK’s right to security and a root cause of destroying the balance of power in Northeast Asia and Asia-Pacific region beyond the Korean peninsula.

It is the steadfast strategic option and will of the DPRK to thoroughly deter the danger of outbreak of a nuclear war and powerfully control and manage the political and military situation in the region by countering the ever-dangerous military threat of the U.S. and its vassal forces with the overwhelmed and absolute power.

The DPRK will perfectly defend its sovereign right, security and development interests under any circumstances and further intensify its practical efforts to ensure the permanent stability of the Korean peninsula and the region in a responsible manner and resolutely counter any threat and challenge in the present and future.

The more provocative act the hostile forces take in defiance of the DPRK’s grave warning, the stronger counteraction they will face.

Rodong Sinmun