[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Dong-hoon] On the 15th, North Korea pointed to the United States as responsible for worsening the situation on the Korean Peninsula and declared its intention to strengthen its military power.
The North Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in an article titled "The United States is the Main Culprit for the Escalation of the Situation on the Korean Peninsula," claimed that the Group of Seven (G7) Non-Proliferation Responsibility Group infringed upon North Korea's legitimate right to self-defense.
On the 9th, the G7 issued a joint statement condemning North Korea for breaking its moratorium on nuclear tests and intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launches, including the ICBM launch conducted in March, and called for a unified international response.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned this as "a blatant infringement on the legitimate exercise of the right to self-defense by a sovereign nation, which can never be tolerated under any circumstances."
It went on to denounce the United States for conducting joint military exercises and strategic weapons tests aimed at North Korea, and for deploying nuclear strategic weapons around the Korean Peninsula, severely threatening the nation's security.
The Ministry stated, "It is only natural that we continuously strengthen our military power to respond to the insecurity and threatening situation created on the Korean Peninsula," adding, "The problem is that the United States and other G7 countries, which conduct the most nuclear and missile tests and continue to sell various war equipment to South Korea, are criticizing our self-defensive measures to strengthen our national defense."
It further asserted, "This is truly like a robber accusing an innocent person," emphasizing, "Regardless of what anyone says, we will continue to strengthen our invincible military power that no one can harm."
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