North Korea said Monday its strategic weapon development was aimed at strengthening its self-defense against threats from Washington while accusing moves by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) against Pyongyang as domestic interference.
In a statement carried by the North’s official Korean Central News Agency, Ri Pyong-chol, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission of the ruling Workers’ Party, said the North’s advanced strategic weapons development is a “legitimate self-defense measure” aimed at protecting Pyongyang from military threats posed by the U.S.
Ri is known to have spearheaded the North’s nuclear and missile development from the early months of Kim’s rule that started in late 2011. The statement came amid renewed tensions over Pyongyang’s recent weapons tests, including that of what it claims to be a solid-fuel Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missile last week.
Also, the vice chairman condemned the U.S. for depicting the North’s exercise of rights to self-defense as a “provocation” and “threat” through the mobilization of the UNSC, calling it a “blatant act of interference” of the North’s internal affairs.
In this file photo, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (C) uses binoculars to watch a military parade at Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang on the night of Feb. 8, 2023, to mark the 75th founding anniversary of the Korea People’s Army, in this photo captured from the North’s official Korean Central Television. Kim was accompanied by Ri Pyong-chol (L), vice chairman of the Central Military Commission of the ruling Workers’ Party, and Premier Kim Tok-hun. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)
Source: Yonhap News Agency