The chief of the Policy Office of the Ministry of National Defence of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea issued on February 15 the following press statement titled "The DPRK's bolstering of its self-defensive capabilities is an essential requirement for deterring rivals' ever-increasing various provocative attempts and ensuring the security of the state":

Some days ago, the commander of the US Northern Command said that the DPRK has secured the capability to strike the whole of North America with nukes, adding that the DPRK's ICBM forces are posing a threat to the security of the US mainland and its missile defence system.

The US is bringing a serious threat to the security environment of the Korean peninsula and the rest of the world while seeking reckless arms buildup and radical modernization of nuclear force. Therefore, the US talking about the "threat" from someone is a brigandish sophism like a guilty party filing the suit first, turning black into white.

The strategic armed forces of the DPRK are the ones for defence to guarantee the security of the state and the strategic balance of the region. The US describing this as a "threat" only proves that it is hostile to the DPRK.

We express serious concern over the US military's confrontational behavior to build up public opinion about the non-existent "threat" from the DPRK and, using it as an excuse, try to justify the adventurous military ambition to gain the superiority of strength in the region.

The present US administration is advocating the establishment of an offensive missile defence system aimed at preemptive attack on other countries and weaponization of outer space under the pretext of defending its mainland. Timed to coincide with this, the commander of the US Northern Command is talking about "the threat from the DPRK". This clearly shows what its real purpose is.

Shortly ago, the US nuclear submarine openly entered the Korean peninsula, interested persons of the US Space Force conspired with the Japanese and the ROK military gangsters to share information for detecting the ballistic missiles of the DPRK and conduct joint space exercises and the US and ROK militaries are planning to enforce the large-scale war drill Freedom Shield in March. All these facts constitute a good reason for the DPRK to beef up its corresponding defence capabilities in coping with the escalating military threat by rival states.

If the US has real concern about the security of its mainland, the only way to remove it is to thoroughly abandon its military threat and hostile policy toward independent and sovereign states.

It is a just self-defensive right of a sovereign state to steadily develop the self-defence capability for effectively containing all the security threats of the present and future and ensuring the security of the state and the strategic balance of the region.

The armed forces of the DPRK will as ever fully deter and control all kinds of challenges and threats from its rival countries by dint of powerful self-defence capability and faithfully discharge their mission for reliably defending peace and stability on the Korean peninsula and in the region.

KCNA