Statement of DPRK Foreign Ministry Spokesman

Pyongyang, December 24 (KCNA) -- A spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the DPRK on Sunday issued the following statement:

The United States, completely terrified at our accomplishment of the great historic cause of completing the state nuclear force, is getting more and more frenzied in the moves to impose the harshest-ever sanctions and pressure on our country.

On December 23, the U.S., while denouncing our successful test launch of ICBM Hwasong-15, cooked up once again the UN Security Council "sanctions resolution" 2397 which is tantamount to complete economic blockade of the DPRK.

We define this "sanctions resolution" rigged up by the U.S. and its followers as a grave infringement upon the sovereignty of our Republic, as an act of war violating peace and stability in the Korean peninsula and the region and categorically reject the "resolution".

The reason we have achieved the great cause of completing the state nuclear force, overcoming all kinds of hardships and weathering through manifold difficulties is to safeguard the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country, ensure the peaceful life of the people and reliably guarantee peace and security of the Korean peninsula and the world against the nuclear blackmail policy and nuclear threats of the U.S imperialists.

As we have stated several times, our nuclear weapons are self-defensive deterrence that does not contradict any international law since we have developed and completed them in a fair and legitimate way outside of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons in order to put an end to the hostile policy and nuclear threats and blackmail of the U.S.

It is a philosophical truth we have found through the past showdown with the U.S. that strengthening the powerful nuclear deterrence in every way is the only way to frustrate the moves of the U.S. who makes it its daily business to carry on military threats and blackmail in every region to realize its preposterous dream of hegemony over the world, advocating the "America First Policy" based on force.

There is no more fatal blunder than the miscalculation that the U.S. and its followers could check by already worn-out "sanctions" the victorious advance of our people who have brilliantly accomplished the great historic cause of completing the state nuclear force, the cause of building a rocket power capable of coping with any nuclear war against the U.S.

The U.S. should not forget even a second the entity of the DPRK which rapidly emerged as a strategic state capable of posing a substantial nuclear threat to the U.S. mainland.

If the U.S. wishes to live safely, it must abandon its hostile policy towards the DPRK and learn to co-exist with the country that has nuclear weapons and should wake up from its pipe dream of our country giving up nuclear weapons which we have developed and completed through all kinds of hardships.

Those countries that raised their hands in favor of this "sanctions resolution" shall be held completely responsible for all the consequences to be caused by the "resolution" and we will make sure for ever and ever that they pay heavy price for what they have done.

Whatever difficulties and challenges lie ahead of our road of advance, we neither feel disappointed nor are afraid of them but are optimistic about brighter future, and no force in the world can break our people's indomitable spirit.

We will further consolidate our self-defensive nuclear deterrence aimed at fundamentally eradicating the U.S. nuclear threats, blackmail and hostile moves by establishing the practical balance of force with the U.S.

No matter how crazy the U.S. and the hostile forces become in their maneuvers against our country, our Republic that advances with the great power of the invincible single-minded unity around the great leader, the strongest military force and the self-reliance and self-development will always shine as the powerful country and the fortress of independence in politics, self-support in the economy and self-reliance in defense. -0-