Spokesman for DPRK Foreign Ministry Issues

Press Statement

Pyongyang, February 3 (KCNA) -- A spokesman for the Foreign Ministry of the
DPRK released the following press statement titled "The most depraved country in
the world is not entitled to take issue with other countries" on Feb. 2:
Recently, U.S. Secretary of State Rubio, in an interview with media, talked nonsense
by terming the DPRK a "rogue state" while enumerating the foreign policy of the new
U.S. administration.
The Foreign Ministry of the DPRK deems the U.S. State Secretary's hostile remarks
to thoughtlessly tarnish the image of a sovereign state as a grave political
provocation totally contrary to the principle of international law which regards respect
for sovereignty and non-interference in other's internal affairs as its core and strongly
denounces and rejects it.
In view of Rubio's political inclination and the U.S. inveterate repugnancy towards the
DPRK, his speech is nothing new, and it would be more surprising if he had said
good word about the DPRK.
But it is necessary to mention how absurd and illogical it is that the most depraved
state in the world brands another country a rogue state.
The hostile words and deeds of the person who is in charge of the U.S. foreign policy
served as an occasion of confirming once again the U.S. hostile policy toward the
DPRK which remains unchanged.
Rubio's coarse and nonsensical remarks only show directly the incorrect view of the
new U.S. administration on the DPRK and will never help promote the U.S. interests
as he wishes.
We will never tolerate any provocation of the U.S., which has been always hostile to
the DPRK and will be hostile to it in the future, too, but will take tough counteraction
corresponding to it as usual. -0-

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Press Release of Institute for Disarmament and

Peace of DPRK Foreign Ministry

Pyongyang, February 3 (KCNA) -- The Institute for Disarmament and Peace of the
Foreign Ministry of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea made public the
following press release titled the "U.S. scheme to build a new missile defense
system is a new 'Star Wars' plan seriously destroying the global security balance" on
February 2:
The new U.S. administration's hegemonic attempt to maintain its military supremacy
and stifle independent and sovereign states through reckless arms buildup has been
clearly manifested from the first day of its office.
A typical example is that the U.S. made public shortly ago a plan to further expand
the missile defense system, under the signboard of ensuring the security of the
mainland and its allies from the ever-increasing "strategic threats" of its so-called
rivals.
The U.S. new missile defense system plan sets a target for aggression to put spurs
to the development and deployment of the next-generation missile defense network
and space-based missile interception system capable of detecting and intercepting
various kinds of missiles at the ascending stage and further strengthen the regional
missile defense system in collusion with its allies.
The new missile defense system idea, suggestive of the departed soul of the
dangerous "Star Wars" scenario mapped out by the U.S. in the Cold War era, has a
danger as it justifies arms buildup under the pretext of coping with "threats" from its
rivals, far from being feasible.
In the 1980s, the U.S. invented a "Strategic Defense Initiative" under the pretext of
coping with the nuclear threat of the former Soviet Union, driving the whole world into
a crucible of nuclear arms race. In 2002 it unilaterally withdrew from the ABM treaty
under the pretext of "security of the mainland" and made frantic efforts to build a
missile defense system targeting the independent and sovereign states including the
DPRK.
Afterwards, the U.S. has spent an astronomical amount of money for the
development of next-generation interceptor missiles and ground-based intermediate-
stage interceptor missiles. It deployed various missile defense systems in Europe
and the Asia-Pacific region and has sought a sinister intention to merge them into
operation.

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The present U.S. administration's attempt to modernize the missile defense system
is also aimed to provide conditions for launching preemptive nuclear attack on the
rivals without any worry about retaliatory attack by them and to turn outer space, a
common wealth of the whole mankind, into a war theatre and militarize it and thus
realize the U.S. military hegemony on a global scale.
The present U.S. administration has called for further strengthening the regional
missile defense system with the allies, talking about the threat of attack by nuclear-
armed rivals. This indicates that the U.S. moves for modernizing the missile defense
system can be further intensified in the Asia-Pacific region where nuclear powers are
concentrated.
It is as clear as noonday that the U.S. will get more pronounced in its moves to
accelerate the development of hypersonic interceptor missiles being pushed forward
with its allies including Japan and deploy more ultra-modern military hardware like
THAAD in various regions including the ROK. This will inevitably touch off the
security concerns of the regional countries.
The evermore-worsening global security environment urgently requires the DPRK to
steadily develop its self-defensive capabilities with nuclear deterrent as a pivot
capable of reliably defending the security and development rights of the state to cope
with the ever-increasing U.S. attempt to hold military hegemony.
The DPRK will as ever counter the ever-increasing military threat of the hostile
forces with the bolstering of military muscle free from limitations and defend global
peace and build a more stable regional security environment by dint of the powerful
self-defensive strength. -0-