Statements of DPRK Foreign Ministry and Korean National Peace Committee

FM Speaks DPRK Has All Means and Methods to Defend Itself

Pyongyang, August 18 (KCNA) -- A spokesman for the DPRK Foreign Ministry Wednesday gave the following answer to a question put by KCNA as regards the U.S-south Korea Ulji Freedom Guardian joint military exercises now under way in south Korea: The U.S. and the south Korean puppet authorities kicked off UFG, the largest-ever joint military exercises to attain an unprecedentedly belligerent goal, on August 16. The all-round joint military exercises being staged across south Korea in the wake of the provocative war maneuvers in the East and West Seas of Korea in less than one month are the dangerous military provocations to ignite a nuclear war on the Korean Peninsula at any cost. These war maneuvers are a wanton violation of the Armistice Agreement and diametrically run counter to the presidential statement of the UNSC dated July 9, 2010 which calls for settling the pending issues on the Korean Peninsula through dialogue and negotiations in a peaceful manner. Such ceaseless military provocations being perpetrated in utter disregard of the concern of the international community about the tensions running high in the Korean Peninsula and the region go to clearly prove that the U.S. is, indeed, the arch criminal threatening and wrecking the global peace and security. The warmongers are so reckless as to dig their own graves. The DPRK is ready both for dialogue and war and has all means and methods to defend itself. The prevailing situation makes the DPRK more keenly feel the validity and vitality of the Songun politics. The U.S. and the south Korean authorities should understand that there is a critical point in the tension, too, and should not calculate they can evade the blame for the explosive situation.

NPCK Blasts US and S. Korean Warmongers' UFG

Pyongyang, August 18 (KCNA) -- A spokesman for the National Peace Committee of Korea released the following statement Wednesday to condemn the U.S. and the puppet group of south Korea for having launched the provocative Ulji Freedom Guardian joint military exercises, defying the unanimous protest and denunciation from Koreans and other peace-loving people of the world: Involved in the exercises that kicked off on August 16 and last till August 26 are at least 30,000 U.S. troops, treble those mobilized in the past exercises, more than 56,000 puppet troops and over 400 000 civilians from more than 4,000 organs including puppet central and local self-governing bodies. UFG now being staged by the U.S. and the south Korean puppet group across south Korea in the wake of the DPRK-targeted war saber-rattling waged in the East and West Seas of Korea under the pretext of the warship sinking case clearly proves how mad they have gone in the war moves. UFG is a nuclear test war as large-scale modern war means and troops are involved there and live shells are being used under the simulated conditions of an actual war according to the operational scenario for mounting a preemptive attack on the DPRK This notwithstanding, the puppet group is letting loose such ridiculous outbursts that the exercises are aimed to "deter a war" and "ensure peace" and the like. The group is talking about "deterring a war" and "preserving peace" after turning the whole of south Korea into theatres of war maneuvers aimed to do harm to fellow countrymen in league with outsiders. This is nothing but sheer sophism. The DPRK will clearly teach the warmongers that the DPRK-targeted war maneuvers will get them nowhere and bring only self-destruction. The army and people of the DPRK will never remain an on-looker to the warmongers' military provocation and war moves but deal unpredictable severe blows at the enemy strongholds any moment and from any place as they had already clarified.