The chief of the Foreign News Section of the Department of Press and Information of the DPRK Foreign Ministry on Sunday issued a press statement titled "The U.S. and the ROK will never evade the responsibility for the aggravation of regional situation to be entailed by an increase in the visibility of military provocations", which said:

Recently, the U.S. and the ROK are staging serious military provocations aiming at the DPRK one after another, adding a danger variable to the unstable security environment on the Korean peninsula and in the region.

The U.S. and the ROK staged Ssangmae joint air drill in the Wonju air force base on January 21-24 under the pretext of increasing the capability for cooperation between the two sides in air operations.

Earlier, the hostile forces staged a large joint firing drill aimed at "early eradication" of the long-range artillery fire system of the DPRK on January 14-16, and the U.S. Department of Defense made public a decision on a large-scale weapon sale to the ROK on January 22.

After raising the first curtain this year with the start of the U.S.-Japan-ROK three-party joint air drill with strategic bombers involved, the U.S. and the ROK are staging various war drills targeting the DPRK every day. This is a grave challenge to ensuring peace and stability on the Korean peninsula and in the region.

The DPRK Foreign Ministry is closely watching the military provocations of the U.S. and the ROK escalating the tension on the Korean peninsula and seriously warns them that such moves will entail a reflective counteraction.

The security environment on the Korean peninsula and in the region is becoming ever more critical because the U.S. seeks the advantage of strength through the ceaseless expansion of the military alliance system and the enforcement of joint military drills of various kinds.

The reality stresses that the DPRK should counter the U.S. with the toughest counteraction from A to Z as long as it refuses the sovereignty, security and interests of the DPRK and this is the best option for dealing with the U.S.

The DPRK will not permit the imbalance of strength imposed by the military nexus between the U.S. and the ROK and take the toughest counteraction to defend the sovereign right, security and interests of the state and thoroughly ensure peace and stability in the region.

The U.S. and the ROK will never evade the responsibility for the aggravation of the regional situation to be entailed by the increase in the visibility of their military nexus and provocations.

Rodong Sinmun