Ri Pyong Chol Makes Public Stand for
Bolstering up Capability for Self-defence
Pyongyang, May 30 (KCNA) -- The military tension on the Korean Peninsula and
in the region is being further heightened due to the U.S. and south Korea's
military moves against the DPRK in which their aggressive nature is becoming
reckless. In this regard, Ri Pyong Chol, vice-chairman of the Central Military
Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea, made public the following stand for
bolstering up the capability for self-defence through the Korean Central News
Agency on May 29:
The U.S. forces and the south Korean puppet army are staging the largest-ever
"combined joint fire annihilation drill" in Phochon, Kyonggi Province of south
Korea adjacent to the Military Demarcation Line for the first time in six years.
The drill aimed to "annihilate" the belligerent party in a true sense of the word will
be staged one after another until mid-June. Involved there are various types of
offensive arms and equipment of the U.S. forces in south Korea and the puppet
army.
Along with this, the U.S. is also scheming to launch a "proliferation security
initiative" (PSI) which made the sea blockade against a sovereign state a fait
accompli by rallying not only south Korea but also Japan, Australia and other
followers under the pretext of " non-proliferation of WMDs " from the end of May.
The U.S. navy's strategic nuclear submarine will soon be deployed in south
Korea for the first time in more than 40 years according to the "Washington
Declaration" in which the U.S. and south Korea documented the plan for using
nuclear weapons against the DPRK in late April.
What should not be overlooked is the fact that the U.S. forces have recently
conducted hostile air espionage activities on the Korean Peninsula and in its
vicinity on an unprecedented level by mobilizing various air reconnaissance
means deployed in the theatre of the Asia-Pacific operations.
In May, the U.S. Air Force RC-135Ss, which had been mobilized to monitor the
eastern area of the DPRK outside the exclusive economic zone of the East Sea
of Korea, have flown the sky above the West Sea of Korea to constantly conduct

surveillance and reconnaissance on the strategic depth of our territory. And
various air reconnaissance means, including U-2 high-altitude strategic
reconnaissance plane and unmanned fighter, MQ-9 and RQ-4B, are coming
close to the sky above frontline maritime of the West Sea of Korea not far away
from the Military Demarcation Line and committing espionage acts on the DPRK,
especially on the western area, with an extremely provocative and dangerous
mode.
The operational radius and watch range of the air reconnaissance assets of the
U.S. forces deployed in the Korean Peninsula and acting there comprise the
northwestern area of the DPRK including the capital city of Pyongyang and the
depth of a neighboring state and its capital, which pose a serious threat to the
DPRK and its neighboring states.
Such air reconnaissance extremely overheating the military tensions in the region
clearly show the sinister intention of the U.S.-led allied forces to carry out the
plan for a preemptive military act against the DPRK, based on overwhelming
reconnaissance and information force, in an emergency. And it also fully proves
how the enemy is making preparations for the military act of aggression on the
DPRK.
With the visit by the U.S. secretary of Defense to south Korea as a momentum,
this year has witnessed the deployment of U.S. nuclear strategic offensive
means on the Korean Peninsula raised to the level of the constant deployment,
the U.S.-south Korea joint drills unprecedented in terms of the scale and period
and the air reconnaissance staged on the unprecedented level, all of which are
the striking examples showing the present security situation of the Korean
Peninsula and have explosion potentiality which would bring a very dangerous
subsequent storm and backward flow to the regional situation.
The concerning security environment prevailing in the region owing to the
dangerous military acts by the U.S. and its vassal forces requires us to secure as
the most pressing task a reliable reconnaissance and information means capable
of gathering information about the military acts of the enemy in real time.

So the 8th Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea and the six rounds of
subsequent plenary meetings of the Party Central Committee set our armed
forces a pressing task and issued an order to take a legal-defense measure.
The DPRK's military reconnaissance satellite No. 1 to be launched in June and
various reconnaissance means due to be newly tested are indispensable to
tracking, monitoring, discriminating, controlling and coping with in advance in real
time the dangerous military acts of the U.S. and its vassal forces openly
revealing their reckless ambition for aggression as time passes by and to
strengthening the military preparedness of the armed forces of the DPRK.
Under the present situation brought by the reckless military acts by the U.S. and
south Korea, we steadily feel the need to expand reconnaissance and
information means and improve various defensive and offensive weapons and
have the timetables for carrying out their development plans.
We will comprehensively consider the present and future threats and put into
more thoroughgoing practice the activities for strengthening all-inclusive and
practical war deterrents.
The armed forces of the DPRK will discharge in a responsible manner its
important mission for reliably defending the state's sovereignty and security. -0-