North Korea slams US ‘double-dealing’ over end of guidelines limiting South’s missiles
- A decades-old pact between Washington and Seoul had capped the development of South Korea’s ballistic missiles before its termination earlier this month
- North Korean state media accused the US of attempting to spark an arms race on the Korean peninsula while tightening its ‘military grip’ on the South
North Korea’s official KCNA news agency carried an article by Kim Myong-chol, who it described as an “international affairs critic”, to accuse the US of applying a double standard as it sought to ban Pyongyang from developing ballistic missiles.
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The US is “engrossed in confrontation despite its lip service to dialogue”, Kim said. “The termination step is a stark reminder of the US hostile policy toward [the North] and its shameful double-dealing.”
North Korea’s target is the US, not South Korea’s military, and it will counter Washington on “the principle of strength for strength”, Kim said.
He accused the US of seeking a “tighter military grip” on South Korea and attempting to spark an arms race on the Korean peninsula. Further, he criticised Moon for welcoming the termination of the guidelines, calling it “disgusting, indecent”.
“Now that the US and the South Korean authorities made clear their ambition of aggression, they are left with no reasons whatsoever to fault the DPRK bolstering its capabilities for self-defence,” Kim added, referring to North Korea by its official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK).
