A South Korean soldier looks toward the south as a North Korean soldier stands guard in Panmunjom at the truce village of Korea inside the demilitarized zone DMZ separating the two Koreas, August 28th, 2019. REUTERS Kim H Hong Ji Pool is an officer.
SEOUL, Sept 20 Reuters - North Korea warned that the United States has risked a dangerous nuclear arms race by providing submarine technology to Australia, criticising its double standards and vowing countermeasures.
Last week, the United States announced a new nuclear security partnership involving Britain to support Australia in China to build at least eight nuclear-powered submarines. North Korea joined China in decrying the decision by the U.S. President as an irresponsible one that destroys global peace and stability and regional non-proliferation efforts.
These are extremely dangerous and undesirable acts which will trigger nuclear war in the Asia-Pacific region and shake off a strategic balance in the North, said the North Foreign Ministry in a comment carried by the official KCNA news agency.
The North criticised Washington’s double dealing attitude, singling out the White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki's words that it does not seek conflict with China but the decision was to shore up regional security.
Her claim amounts to a position that any country can spread nuclear technology if it is in its interests, and this shows that the U.S. is the chief culprit for toppling international nuclear non-proliferation system, the ministry said.
We are closely watching the background of the U.S. decision and will certainly take a corresponding counter-action in case it has even a small adverse impact on the security of our country. North Korean leader Donald Trump agreed to work toward denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and create new relations at a summit with then-U.S. President Kim Jong Un, although negotiations have stalled since 2019 because of this (conventional) principle.
Washington condemned Washington for supporting its own weapons development while slammed Washington's program as threats to regional peace and security.
The North's state media said on Friday that Washington's double standards and hostile policy hampered a reopening of denuclearisation talks.