ID :
19803
Wed, 09/17/2008 - 09:04
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/19803
The shortlink copeid
N. Korea vows to increase war deterrence against U.S. hostility
By Shim Sun-ah
SEOUL, Sept. 16 (Yonhap) -- North Korea on Tuesday criticized South Korea and the United States for last month's joint war drills, vowing to build up its war deterrent in the face of what it calls Washington's policy of suffocating the communist state.
South Korea and the U.S. held annual military drills, dubbed "Ulchi Freedom
Guard" from Aug. 18-22. They called the exercises defensive but North Korea
has denounced them as a rehearsal for a nuclear war against it.
"They were operations to test launch a preemptive strike on the DPRK,"
Rodong Shinmun, the North's most influential state-run daily, said in a
commentary titled "Reinforcing war deterrence is one hundred times
justifiable."
DPRK is the abbreviation of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the
official name of North Korea. Pyongyang's "war deterrent" usually
means its nuclear programs.
"Washington is trying to behave differently while declaring a path of
dialogue," claimed the commentary carried by the North's official Korean
Central News Agency.
"This reality shows how just the DPRK's measures to reinforce its war
deterrent was to cope with the U.S. imperialists' tactics to stifle the
country," the newspaper said.
North Korea's communist regime has always been sensitive to any military moves by
Seoul and Washington. The two Korean states are still technically at war, with no
peace treaty signed at the end of the 1950-53 Korean War.
Last month's joint drills came amid a deadlock in six-party talks aimed at
denuclearizing North Korea. Pyongyang is currently in conflict with the U.S. over
how to verify its nuclear declaration.
The North's declaration of its nuclear activities in June was linked to
Washington's promise to take the communist country off its terrorism blacklist.
Washington postponed the de-listing after North Korea failed to agree on detailed
verification measures.
Pyongyang, in protest, has recently taken apparent steps to reverse the disabling
of its key nuclear facilities at Yongbyon.
sshim@yna.co.kr
(END)
SEOUL, Sept. 16 (Yonhap) -- North Korea on Tuesday criticized South Korea and the United States for last month's joint war drills, vowing to build up its war deterrent in the face of what it calls Washington's policy of suffocating the communist state.
South Korea and the U.S. held annual military drills, dubbed "Ulchi Freedom
Guard" from Aug. 18-22. They called the exercises defensive but North Korea
has denounced them as a rehearsal for a nuclear war against it.
"They were operations to test launch a preemptive strike on the DPRK,"
Rodong Shinmun, the North's most influential state-run daily, said in a
commentary titled "Reinforcing war deterrence is one hundred times
justifiable."
DPRK is the abbreviation of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the
official name of North Korea. Pyongyang's "war deterrent" usually
means its nuclear programs.
"Washington is trying to behave differently while declaring a path of
dialogue," claimed the commentary carried by the North's official Korean
Central News Agency.
"This reality shows how just the DPRK's measures to reinforce its war
deterrent was to cope with the U.S. imperialists' tactics to stifle the
country," the newspaper said.
North Korea's communist regime has always been sensitive to any military moves by
Seoul and Washington. The two Korean states are still technically at war, with no
peace treaty signed at the end of the 1950-53 Korean War.
Last month's joint drills came amid a deadlock in six-party talks aimed at
denuclearizing North Korea. Pyongyang is currently in conflict with the U.S. over
how to verify its nuclear declaration.
The North's declaration of its nuclear activities in June was linked to
Washington's promise to take the communist country off its terrorism blacklist.
Washington postponed the de-listing after North Korea failed to agree on detailed
verification measures.
Pyongyang, in protest, has recently taken apparent steps to reverse the disabling
of its key nuclear facilities at Yongbyon.
sshim@yna.co.kr
(END)
