Press Statement of Spokesman for DPRK Ministry of National Defence

Pyongyang, July 18 (KCNA) -- A spokesman for the Ministry of National Defence of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea issued the following press statement on Saturday:

The U.S.-Japan-ROK military collusion, which has recently been taking a more dangerous form with a nuclear element in it, is the root cause of undermining peace and stability in the Korean peninsula and the Asia-Pacific region.

At the U.S.-Japan-ROK Trilateral Chiefs of Defence meeting held in Washington on July 15, the enemy countries agreed to further strengthen the tripartite military cooperation, including the holding of Freedom Edge, the multi-domain joint military exercises targeting regional countries, taking issue with the constitutional position of the DPRK.

This clearly shows the invariable hostile attempt of the U.S., Japan and the ROK to attain a military superiority in the region and seek their hegemonic geopolitical interests through intensified trilateral military cooperation.

The DPRK Ministry of National Defence cautions about the danger of the provocative trilateral military cooperation that creates a possibility for worrisome military confrontation and conflict in the Korean peninsula and gives a stern warning about its negative consequences for the regional security environment.

The U.S.-Japan-ROK military nexus and war drills openly disregarding the security concerns of regional countries are persistently deteriorating the security environment in the Korean peninsula and the region.

On July 13 the U.S. and the ROK launched Buddy Squadron air drills aimed at increasing the joint attack capability and staged the largest-ever Combined Joint Sustainment Training with more than 4 400 troops and over 600 warships and planes involved.

And the U.S. permanently deployed Los Angeles-class nuclear attack submarine on Guam as part of its effort to bolster underwater combat strength in the western Pacific and is now staging RIMPAC, the largest-ever multinational joint naval drill in the world led by the U.S., Japan and the ROK, in the waters off Hawaii.

We can never remain indifferent to the serious security challenge posed by the U.S.-Japan-ROK triangular military cooperation, which is being integrated and developed in an offensive way day by day under the manipulation of the U.S., to the Korean peninsula and the region beyond it.

The DPRK reaffirms its stand to deter the military moves of the enemy countries and thoroughly manage the security environment in the Korean peninsula with its responsible will and effective actions to cope with the prevailing threat.

Proceeding from the viewpoint of powerful strength, the armed forces of the DPRK will never allow the imbalance of force in the region forced by the U.S.-Japan-ROK military nexus and always remain faithful to the constitutional mission to neutralize the actual security challenges and potential threats and reliably defend the security of the country and the regional peace. -0