North Korea's deputy U.N. ambassador accused the United States on Monday
of turning the Korean Peninsula into "the world's biggest hotspot" and
creating "a dangerous situation in which a thermonuclear war may break
out at any moment."
Kim In Ryong told a news conference that "if the U.S. dares opt for a
military action," North Korea "is ready to react to any mode of war
desired by the U.S."
He said the Trump administration's deployment of the Carl Vinson nuclear
carrier task group to waters off the Korean Peninsula again "proves the
U.S. reckless moves for invading the DPRK have reached a serious phase
of its scenario."
Kim stressed that U.S.-South Korean military exercises being staged now
are the largest-ever "aggressive war drill" aimed at his country,
formally the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
"The prevailing grave situation proves once again that the DPRK was
entirely just when it increased in every way its military capabilities
for self-defense and pre-emptive attack with a nuclear force as a
pivot," he said.
Tensions have escalated over North Korean moves to accelerate its
weapons development. The North conducted two nuclear tests and 24
ballistic missile tests last year, defying six Security Council
sanctions resolutions banning any testing, and it has conducted
additional missile tests this year including one this past weekend that
failed.
Kim spoke on a day that U.S. Vice President Mike Pence traveled to the tense zone dividing North and South Korea
and warned Pyongyang that after years of testing the U.S. and South
Korea with its nuclear ambitions, "the era of strategic patience is
over."
After 25 years of trying to deal patiently with North Korea over its
nuclear program, Pence said, "all options are on the table" to deal with
threat. And he warned that any use of nuclear weapons by Pyongyang
would be met with "an overwhelming and effective response."
Kim said the Trump administration is "trumpeting about 'peace by
strength'" by deploying "one strategic striking means after another in
South Korea." But he said the "the DPRK remains unfazed."
Kim said the DPRK's policy is shaped by the Trump administration's push
for "high intensity sanctions" against the country, deploying tactical
nuclear weapons in South Korea and launching military action aimed at
"beheading" the North's leadership headed by Kim Jong Un.
He said rolling back the hostile U.S. policy toward the DPRK "is the
precondition to solving all the problems in the Korean Peninsula."
Kim called the press conference to "categorically reject" the U.S.
decision to hold an open meeting of the Security Council on April 28 on
North Korea's nuclear program which is scheduled to be chaired by U.S.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.
He called it "another abuse of authority" by the United States, which
holds the Security Council presidency this month, and a violation of the
DPRK's sovereignty.
Kim ignored questions about the DPRK's relationship with China and
reports that the government didn't respond to requests from Chinese
officials for a meeting.
Instead he reiterated two Chinese proposals that the U.S. rejected.
One called for "dual-track" talks on denuclearization of the Korean
Peninsula — the top priority of the United States — and replacing the
armistice that ended the 1950-53 Korean War with a formal peace treaty, a
key demand of Pyongyang. The other called for a freeze on U.S.-South
Korean military exercises and a freeze on DPRK missile and nuclear
tests.
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