The chief of the Policy Office of the Ministry of National Defence of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea on July 13 issued the following press statement titled “The US-Japan-ROK military nexus threatening regional peace should be closely watched and deterred”:

Recently, the US-Japan-ROK’s military cooperation and joint military actions have been conducted periodically with more threatening nature. They are the main danger factors heightening the level of the military tension in and around the Korean peninsula.

On July 11, the US, Japan and the ROK waged a provocative joint air drill by mobilizing various kinds of fighter bombers including the strategic bomber “B-52H” in the sky over the Korean peninsula and its vicinity. On the same day, they held a meeting of the chairpersons of their joint chiefs of staff to openly reveal their attempt to further accelerate the tripartite military cooperation targeting the DPRK and other regional countries.

We express serious concern over their hostile acts of persistently conducting provocative and threatening military actions while deliberately ignoring the security concern of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and strongly warn against their grave consequences to affect the regional situation.

This year the US is continuously posing a danger to the security environment of our state while renewing the records in the frequency of deploying strategic strike means in and around the Korean peninsula and drastically increasing the frequency and scale of joint military drills with its satellite countries.

The US strategic bombers, stealth fighters and various aerial reconnaissance assets are being massively deployed at US military bases in Japan and the ROK, and the US secretary of Defense, the secretary of Navy, the transportation commander and other military officials appeared in the vicinity of the Korean peninsula to fan up confrontation hysteria. The US-Japan-ROK tripartite military cooperation is getting more offensive.

The serious development in which the military alliances between the US and Japan and between the US and the ROK have completely changed into a nuclear-based triangular military alliance and the tripartite military cooperation is being promoted in all spheres predicts that the long-standing instability and tension in the Korean peninsula can lead to an unpredictable phase of military confrontation at any moment.

The irresponsible acts of the US, Japan and the ROK steadily heightening the level of tension and danger in the Korean peninsula should be closely watched and deterred.

We clearly recognize that the possession of the reliable and overwhelming military capability is the most realistic way to deter the practical application of the doctrine of “peace through strength” pursued by the US and neutralize the joint military action plan of the US, Japan and the ROK.

It is our just sovereign right to take countermeasures against provocative military actions such as the moves to strengthen the multilateral military alliance threatening the security of the region and the joint military drills of clear aggressive character.

Our armed forces are in constant military preparedness to check the collective provocations by the US and its vassal forces, deter their aggressive attempt and effectively cope with war acts.

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea will express, more clearly with its practical military counteraction, its invariable stand that it will never tolerate any slightest act which exerts a negative influence on its security environment and continue to take responsible measures to defend its sovereignty and security interests.

KCNA