DPRK warns of counteraction after U.S.-Australia submarine deal

Download

A missile is launched during a drill of the Railway Mobile Missile Regiment in the DPRK in this image supplied by the KCNA on September 16, 2021. /Reuters

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Monday denounced a United States decision to help build nuclear-powered submarines for Australia as an "extremely undesirable and dangerous" move that could trigger off a nuclear arms race.

The DPRK will take "corresponding counteraction in case it has even a little adverse impact on the security" of the country, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported citing a foreign ministry official.

Last week the U.S. announced a new three-way security pact with Australia and Britain, as part of a strategic partnership under which U.S. nuclear submarines will be supplied to Canberra.

"These are extremely undesirable and dangerous acts which will upset the strategic balance in the Asia-Pacific region and trigger off a chain of nuclear arms race," said the chief of the Foreign News Section of the Department of Press and Information of the Foreign Ministry.

"This shows that the U.S. is the chief culprit toppling the international nuclear non-proliferation system," the official said.

U.S. President Joe Biden (C) delivers remarks about a national security initiative to announce that the U.S. will share nuclear submarine technology with Australia as he is joined virtually by Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison (L) and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, September 15, 2021. /Getty

The DPRK fired off two missiles into the sea on Wednesday, and hours later, the Republic of Korea (ROK) successfully test-fired a submarine-launched ballistic missile, becoming only the seventh country in the world with the technology.

Talks between Washington and Pyongyang have stalled since a summit between then U.S. President Donald Trump and DPRK leader Kim Jong Un collapsed in February 2019.

Pyongyang has criticized the Joe Biden administration for maintaining hostile policy toward it and condemned the joint U.S.-ROK military drills last month.

"The U.S. double-dealing attitude (is) getting all the more pronounced after the emergence of the new administration erodes the universally accepted international norm and order and seriously threatens the world peace and stability," the DPRK official said, adding that Pyongyang "will certainly take a corresponding counteraction in case it has even a little adverse impact on the security of our country."

(With input from AFP)

Open in CGTN APP for better experience

Search Trends