North Korea has been citing the hostility of the US and its allies as the reason for expanding its nuclear program. Sunday’s statement comes at a time when North Korea’s neighbor has said the country will be ready for its first nuclear test in the next five years.
North Korea’s foreign ministry said in a statement, “The current situation threatens to rapidly deteriorate the security environment of the Korean Peninsula and the rest of the world and will make it necessary for the country to build defense and increase its military capability.” ‘
The statement raised the issue of a trilateral meeting between the leaders of the US, South Korea and Japan on the sidelines of the NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) summit last week. During the meeting, the three countries underscored the need to strengthen their cooperation to deal with North Korea’s nuclear threats.
US President Joe Biden said during a recently held trilateral meeting that he was “deeply concerned” about North Korea’s continued ballistic missile tests and plans to conduct nuclear tests.
South Korean President Eun Suk Yeol said that trilateral cooperation has grown in importance because of North Korea’s advanced nuclear program, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said joint anti-missile exercises would be important to deter North Korea’s threats.
AP Surbhi Simmi
Simmi
