U.S. FORCES ACCUSED OF TURNING DMZ ALONG MDL INTO ZONE FLUSH WITH HEAVY WEAPONS

Pyongyang, July 14 (KCNA) -- A spokesman for the Panmunjom Mission of the Korean People's Army Thursday gave an answer to the question raised by Joson Inmingun newspaper as regards the fact that the U.S. imperialist aggression forces in south Korea recently massively introduced various type heavy weapons into the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) along the Military Demarcation Line (MDL), pushing the situation there to the phase of conflict and war.

On July 10 south Korean media made public the fact that the "UN Command" held a confab with the puppet Joint Chiefs of Staff in July 2014 and revised the "UN Command Regulation 551-4" on allowing the introduction of not only firearms but heavy weapons into the DMZ along the MDL and has begun implementing it since September 5 of the same year.

It is said that according to the new "regulation", 12.7mm-caliber machine gun, 40mm-caliber grenade launchers, 57mm-caliber recoilless gun, 81mm-caliber mortars and other heavy weapons were deployed into the DMZ, counting only those opened to public. The spokesman said: Such undisguised breach of the Armistice Agreement has turned the DMZ into a "heavily armed zone" and pushed the situation to the phase of unpredictable military clash.

This is a product of the ceaseless U.S. moves to ignite another Korean war. The U.S. imperialist aggression forces which are present in south Korea under the cloak of the "UN Command" are misleading the public opinion with sheer sophism that their shameless actions are "to cope with" the DPRK's "arms build-up."

The U.S. has long wantonly and totally breached the Korean Armistice Agreement. It was the robber-like U.S. that began breaching the core provisions of the AA as soon as it was signed.

Military tension has reached an extreme phase in the DMZ along the MDL, the line dividing the Korean peninsula recognized as the biggest hotspot in the world.

This is attributable to the dangerous phase of confrontation and war created by the U.S. imperialist aggression forces in south Korea by massively introducing heavy weapons to the DMZ along the MDL in wanton violation of the AA.

The massive introduction of heavy weapons into the DMZ along the MDL would render the DMZ which plays the role of military buffer zone defunct and turn it into an outpost for igniting a war. This is the aim sought by the chieftains of aggression and provocation.

The U.S., the shameless robber and ferocious aggressor without an equal in the world, has paid lip-service to the "observance of the AA" and "detente" in a bid to hide its true colors. It is trying to turn the DMZ into "zone flooded with heavy weapons," thus inciting the military confrontation between the north and the south and rendering the situation there extremely tense.

By nature, it is the customary practice of the U.S. to abet and stoke dispute and conflict among nations and countries in a bid to achieve its aggressive purpose with ease. This is well illustrated by the fact that the U.S. is stepping up the "transfer of its aggressor bases to areas south of the River Han."

The Park Geun Hye group of traitors is working with bloodshot eyes to escalate the confrontation with the compatriots in the north, zealously pursuant to this sinister scenario of the U.S.

The increased efforts on the part of the criminals to falsify facts and distort the reality would only bring to light their despicable true colours.

The KPA is now following with high vigilance the frequent ill-boding military moves of the enemy in areas along the MDL.

DEPLOYMENT OF THAAD IN S. KOREA WILL INVITE NEW COLD WAR: KCNA COMMENTARY

Pyongyang, July 16 (KCNA) -- The final decision to deploy THAAD in south Korea, being part of the U.S. moves for building a global missile shield, is sparking serious concern of the international community.

The U.S. is taking much pain to calm down the backlash of the countries around the Korean peninsula by making such far-fetched assertion that THAAD to be operated in south Korea is "defensive means" to cope with the "nuclear and missile threat" from the DPRK.

But, with no rhetoric can it cover up its aggressive nature as a harasser of global peace and stability.

The U.S. THAAD deployment is a risky military move that may bring a new Cold War to Asia-Pacific as it is aimed to upset the regional strategic balance and contain China and Russia by force directly.

It is the U.S. ulterior purpose to neutralize the attack capability of rapidly developing Asian countries, specifically the regional powers, through its missile shield and thus hold political, economic and military hegemony in the region.

THAAD deployment in south Korea is directly linked to the full-scale execution of the U.S. strategy for dominating Asia-Pacific.

The deployment of THAAD plays as the catalyst for sparking off a fiercer arms race and a new Cold War in Asia-Pacific. No wonder, regional powers are channelling efforts into bolstering their military muscle to counter the deployment, keeping high vigilance and expressing deep concern over it.

China and Russia have launched an all-out offensive to get the deployment plan retracted, asserting that THAAD would upset the strategic balance in the region and wantonly violate their strategic security.

They are also pressing ahead with their immediate missile programs such as redeployment of armed forces to strike designated targets in the light of the range of THAAD.

This being a stark reality, the U.S. has gone as foolish as to try to deceive someone by asserting that THAAD deployment is an "inevitable choice" under the situation where various type rockets possessed by the Korean People's Army and their test-fires pose a "serious threat" to the security of south Korea and other parts of Asia-Pacific.

Andrei Vinogradov, chief of the center for political study and forecast of the Institute of the Far East of the Russian Academy of Sciences, commented that it is no more than a lame excuse for the U.S. to claim THAAD is to protect south Korea from the threat of the DPRK.

Recalling when the deployment of the missile shield in Europe was under discussion, the U.S. claimed that it was to cope with the threat from Iran; he noted that the nuclear deal with Iran has been clinched but the building of a missile shield is still underway in Romania and Poland.

The same can be said of THAAD deployment in south Korea, he added. The U.S. is sadly mistaken if it thinks that the world today would change, pursuant to its subjective ambition. The U.S. can never realize its scenario to maintain its military edge and materialize its hegemonic desire in Asia-Pacific while getting frantic in war drills, arms build-up and building of a military bloc after designating the DPRK as a primary target of its attack.

As THAAD openly targets the DPRK, the enemy will never be able to get rid of the striking range of the Korean People's Army. Fully equipped with cutting-edge offensive strike means, the Korean People's Army will never remain a passive on-lookers to the prevailing situation whereby the Korean peninsula is being reduced to a theatre of muscle-flexing among big powers and an igniting point of a new world war.

The deployment of THAAD will only result in justifying the DPRK's exercise of its right to self-defence and precipitating the miserable end of the war maniacs.

LETTER TO PRESIDENT OF FATF

Pyongyang, July 16 (KCNA) -- Mr. Kim Chon Gyun, vice-chairman of the DPRK National Coordination Committee for Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism and governor of the Central Bank, sent a letter to Juan Manuel Vega-Serrano, president of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), on July 13.

The letter said: I have the honor to refer to your predecessor's letter dated June 30, 2016. The letter gives rise to disappointment over the unfair handling by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) of the question of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), presenting the seriously distorted picture of the reality and thus serving only the interests of specific jurisdictions.

The FATF, alleging that the DPRK is "threatening the integrity of the international financial system" by money laundering and financing of terrorism, is raising an issue of what is called "threat emanating from proliferation of weapons of mass destruction" only to justify its call for "counter-measures" forcing other jurisdictions to terminate all financial transactions with the DPRK.

This is exactly as same as the U.S. scenario in an attempt to isolate and stifle the DPRK by accusing the latter with all sorts of brands such as a "state of money laundering", a "state of human rights violation". As known, the DPRK is actively taking the actions pursuant to the international standards on combating money laundering in close cooperation with the Asia /Pacific Group on Money Laundering (APG) and the Asia/Pacific Regional Review Group (APRRG), which was also appreciated by FATF.

The establishment of the National Coordination Committee for Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism, the adoption of the Law on Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism followed by the entering into the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crimes, among others, are the results of devoted efforts for intensifying the AML & CFT system of the country in conformity with the International Standards in cooperation with the APG and the APRRG.

As for the issue of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, our access to nuclear weapons is a self-defensive measure, fair and aboveboard to all intents and purposes, for safeguarding the sovereignty and dignity of the country to counter the heinous hostile policy of the United States on the DPRK, and the DPRK is implementing in a sincere manner as a responsible nuclear weapons state the obligations assumed before the international society for non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction including nuclear weapons.

If the DPRK's access to nuclear weapons constitutes proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, a question arises with regard to the United States, deploying a number of nuclear weapons in different parts of the world and squandering astronomical amount of money on their modernization even at this time.

The FATF is required to provide a clear answer to this question. The DPRK will continue engaging with the FATF, the APRRG and the APG on basis of its consistent position of combating money laundering and financing of terrorism and proliferation. However, it will be left with no other option but to give consideration to the relations if the FATF remains allowing itself to serve the interests of the United States and certain jurisdictions.

PARK GEUN HYE GROUP'S PRO-JAPANESE ACT ASSAILED

Pyongyang, July 14 (KCNA) -- A spokesman for the Korean Committee on Measures for the Sexual Slavery for Japanese Army and Drafting Victims gave an answer to a question raised by KCNA Thursday as regards the disclosure of the pro-Japanese act of treachery committed by the Park Geun Hye group of south Korea to cover up the sexual slavery for the Imperial Japanese Army.

The spokesman said that the Park group recently slashed the authorities' funds for the registration of a record on the sexual slavery for the Imperial Japanese Army at the UNESCO, sparking off a big public furore.

This is not only just an intolerable insult and mockery of the victims of the sexual slavery but a never-to-be pardoned act of treachery aimed to keep Japan's past crimes buried into oblivion, the spokesman said, and went on: As there was a brisk movement among civic and social organizations of various countries around the world to register a record showing the sexual slavery for the Imperial Japanese Army in the wake of the registration of the bloody Nanjing massacre as a world heritage, the Japanese reactionaries have gone crafty in their moves to check the movement, talking about the possibility of suspending the contribution to UNESCO and the demand for the change of registration system of documentary heritages.

Taking advantage of such act against history being committed by Japan, Park is trying to ify the crimes related to the sexual slavery which the successive puppet ruling forces of south Korea dared not do. This is the despicable sycophancy and treachery which can be committed only by Park as she has been steeped in pro-Japanese idea to the marrow of her bones since she was young when her father ruled and was raised in a "family" that served Japan risking anything.

The thrice-cursed sexual slavery committed by the Japanese imperialists can never be erased no matter how desperately the Park group may try to cover it up while going against the trend of the times.

The Park group will certainly be forced to pay for its acts of serving Japan. The committee will always stand by the south Korean people in their just actions to let the world public know about Japan's past crimes and to make sure that such crimes are never repeated.

Kim Jong Un Enjoys Art Performance Given by KPA Officers' Wives

Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army (KPA) Kim Jong Un, chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) and chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the DPRK, enjoyed an art performance staged by the amateur art groups of KPA units selected in the sixth round of the second-term art performance contest of KPA officers' wives.

They were members of art groups of officers' wives of KPA Units 567, 526, 337, 534, 963 and KPA Navy.

The performers truthfully represented the noble ideological and moral world of officers' wives living in an optimistic and revolutionary manner, deeply cherishing the confidence in victory that the prosperity of the socialist country and the happiness of their wives lie in trusting and following Kim Jong Un only.

They impressively sang of the boundless pride and self-esteem and an optimistic and joyful life of the officers' wives who have grown to be proud women revolutionaries upholding the Songun revolutionary leadership of the WPK on the first line of defence amid the profound loving care and trust of Kim Jong Un. They, at the same time, truthfully depicted the dedication being made by the officers' wives as assistants to their husbands and mothers of soldiers.

At the end of the performance Kim Jong Un waved back to the enthusiastic cheers of the performers and congratulated them on their successful presentation.

He said they staged all numbers firmly based on the reality and made a profound ideological and artistic depiction of important socio-political issues arising in the struggle and life of the people in the Songun era. He highly appreciated the performance as one imbued with the monolithic ideology of the party and the one dealing with party policies like a program for lectures on those policies.

Noting that they created and staged art works strong in agitation and appeal on the themes of the undying exploits performed by President Kim Il Sung and leader Kim Jong Il in their units and the important policy issues of the party at present, he expressed great satisfaction over the performance of great cognitional and educational value and perfect in ideological and artistic contents. He extended thanks to them in the name of the supreme commander of the KPA.

The performance once again proved the very ennobling ideological and moral qualities of the officers' wives taking the lead in implementing the party policy on mass-based culture and art true to the noble intention of Kim Jong Il, who initiated the contest and put it on a traditional basis, he said, adding he was greatly encouraged to hear the voices of the members of the art groups of officers' wives absolutely supporting the party policies.

He expressed the expectation and belief that members of the art groups of the above-said units would conduct more brisk mass-based cultural and art activities to powerfully arouse the service personnel and people to the national defence and the construction of a powerful socialist country. Then he had a photo session with them.

Among the audience were commanding officers of the KPA.

Kim Jong Un Provides Field Guidance to Paektusan Architectural Institute

Kim Jong Un, chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea, chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the DPRK and supreme commander of the Korean People's Army, provided field guidance to the Paektusan Architectural Institute.

He went round the room for the education in the revolutionary history, the room preserving historical data and relics and the room dedicated to history of the institute.

Watching photos of leader Kim Jong Il giving on-the-spot guidance to the institute with deep emotion, he said the valuable historical materials show the history of leadership provided by Kim Jong Il over the development of the Juche-oriented architecture.

Noting that without the guidance of Kim Jong Il who built with much effort such architectural creative study bases as the Paektusan Architectural Institute and clearly indicated the orientation of developing the Juche-oriented architecture, the greatest heyday and prosperity of construction on this land would be hardly thinkable, he stressed that Kim Jong Il's feats should always be remembered.

Going around the exhibition of architectural sci-tech achievements, the room for the study of architectural designs, the information study room and other places, he set forth the tasks before the institute.

The officials, designers, architects and researchers of the institute should firmly equip themselves with our party's idea of the Juche-oriented architectural beauty and construction policy and wage a dynamic drive to erect buildings to shine long along with the era of the Workers' Party and the structures strictly based on the Juche character, national character, originality and modern style, he said.

Architecture means high-level art and an important yardstick showing civilization level of the nation and national power, he noted, adding that designers and architects should fully ensure the designs at the highest level reflecting the party's construction idea and people's ideal with high awareness that they are artists and gardeners who visualize and carve out the rosy future of the socialist country.

He called on the designers, architects and researchers to thoroughly reject similarity and repetition in architectural designing and work hard to more successfully build a greater number of buildings for health, green ones, zero energy and zero carbon ones and multi-functional structures, etc.

He underscored the need for the institute to direct big efforts to the work for maximizing the proportion of locally available finishing building materials, making building materials diversified, increasing their varieties and producing multi-colored ones, exploring new areas in architecture, raising the creative skill of designers and architects and accumulating more data on world architecture.

Underlining the necessity to further update the designing means at the institute, he was so kind as to promise it that the party would send modern designing means including latest computers to it so that it may ensure the scientific accuracy, correctness and speed in designing at a high level.

Noting that the party has a very great expectation for the institute, he expressed expectation and belief that its officials, designers, architects and researchers would creditably discharge their heavy yet honorable mission and duty. Then he had a photo session with them.

Kim Jong Un Provides Field Guidance to Phyongsong Synthetic Leather Factory

Kim Jong Un, chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the DPRK and supreme commander of the Korean People's Army, provided field guidance to the Phyongsong Synthetic Leather Factory.

Kim Jong Un enjoyed the bird's-eye view of the factory and said that the factory was remodeled in a splendid and fashionable style. Its appearance only helps one clearly notice the spirit of the officials and employees to devotedly implement without an inch of deflection the instruction given by leader Kim Jong Il to modernize it during his visit to the factory in the last period of his life.

He went round the monument to the field guidance given by the peerlessly great men of Mt. Paektu and the room devoted to the education in the revolutionary history and the room dedicated to the history which were newly arranged at the factory.

Watching the valuable historic data including photos of President Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il providing field guidance to the factory, he said that the factory developed into a treasure of the country which made positive contributions to improving the people's standard of living under the particular loving care of the great leaders.

He acquainted himself in detail with the production, management and operation of the factory while looking round its different places.

The officials and employees have made a lot of successes through a vigorous struggle to firmly consolidate the material and technical foundations of the factory which were provided by the President and Kim Jong Il, he said, and went on:

They are taking good care of modern production equipment associated with the warm loving care of Kim Jong Il like the apple of the eye and successfully doing the work for updating outdated equipment and making a good use of them.

He praised the officials and employees of the factory for devoting their creative wisdom to the drive to produce synthetic leather whose quality is as good as natural leather in physical nature and use such as tensile and bending strength and working hard to make a variety of bags in high demand among people.

Noting that the factory has an important duty and role to perform, he set forth the tasks which would serve as guidelines for managing and operating the factory.

He said the factory should put production on normal footing and sufficiently provide raw and other materials for the steady increase of the production as the factory has turned into a huge one capable of fully satisfying the nation's needs for synthetic leather and he took a benevolent measure to this end.

He had a photo session with the officials and employees of the factory after expressing expectation and belief that they would boost the production of quality synthetic leather and thus glorify forever the legendary love for the people shown by Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il at the factory.

He was accompanied by Pak Pong Ju, premier of the Cabinet, An Jong Su, department director of the Central Committee of the WPK, and Pak Myong Sun, vice department director of the C.C., the WPK.

SYRIA AND KOREA: THE LOGIC OF PEACE AND WAR

http://journal-neo.org/2016/03/20/syria-and-korea-the-logic-of-peace-and-war/

The bold initiative by the Russian government to withdraw some of its forces from Syria is a lesson in the use of limited military means to achieve limited political ends. With the finesse of a skilled surgeon, the Russian intervention saved the Syrian government from being overwhelmed by the NATO proxies attacking it, inflicted a fatal blow to the American attempt to achieve hegemony in the Middle East, enhanced Russian prestige in the world, and demonstrated that the economic warfare being waged against Russia by the USA, EU and Canada, has had no effect on either Russian determination to choose an independent foreign policy or the military means to put it into effect.

The confusion and consternation in the NATO block as they realise that, once again, they have been outwitted, is dramatic. Once again the western intelligence services have proved to be asleep at the wheel, and their government leadership mired in fantasies of their own creation.

The embarrassed silence from Washington, which for months has been claiming that Russia was going to be bogged down and chewed up by the Syrian war, reflects the incompetence of its political leadership, from President Obama to the contenders for the Presidency in the current American elections. None of them know what to do, except react in frustration, a reaction that does not exactly lead to rational policies.

The achievement of the limited ceasefire a few weeks ago, forced on the Americans by the reality on the battlefield, set up the logic of this partial withdrawal. The withdrawal underscores the Russian and Syrian policy of achieving a satisfactory political settlement of the war, forces the western powers to support that policy, or be declared opponents of peace, yet, at the same time, gives Russia and Syria the flexibility to respond to any attempts to escalate the violence from whatever direction they may come.

The Russian defence ministry has stated that the remaining Russian air group will continue to provide air support to the Syrian forces and will continue to hit the groups that refuse to abide by the ceasefire or those determined to be “terrorist” groups, in fact the bulk of the forces attacking the Syrian people. Further the S400 air defence systems are to remain in place to cover the Russian forces remaining and to deter aggression from Turkey, Saudi Arabia or American forces.

Yet, the withdrawal signals a clear de-escalation of the war and can be taken as an announcement that the enemy has been dealt a fatal blow. This initiative was taken at the same time that Russia protested any further NATO military actions against Libya unless they had Security Council approval and at the same time that it joined China in calling for the Americans to reduce the pressure on North Korea and commit to a final and peaceful resolution of the conflict on the Korean peninsula. Unfortunately, both Russia and China have joined the United States in condemning North Korea’s attempts to defend itself with nuclear weapons against the threat of nuclear war coming from the United States.

This condemnation seems to be in reaction to the fear that North Korea’s defence doctrine will provoke the USA into launching a war that will affect all Asia or, at the least, give the Americans an excuse to put new anti-ballistic missile systems into south Korea which will threaten the security of not only North Korea but also China and Russia. Perhaps they have a valid point and perhaps there are other reasons unknown to us that prompted them to join in the virtual blockade of North Korea, but the injustice is blatant. All three nuclear powers are enhancing and building their own nuclear weapon systems; Saudi Arabia is making noises that it has nuclear weapons, along with Israel, without any reaction from the big three; and the government of North Korea is being threatened with continuing military exercises that threaten a immediate decapitation strike of its government and nuclear annihilation.

The current exercises being carried out in Korea are the largest ever conducted, involving over 300,000 soldiers, US aircraft carrier battle groups, nuclear submarines, B-2 bombers, Australian naval ships and, to add insult to injury, Japanese forces that attacked and occupied Korea in the

Second World War and that helped the Americans to attack the north in 1950. The stated objective of the exercises is to practice Operation Plan 5015, the action plan to kill the Korean leadership, destroy its bases and invade and occupy the country. A first strike using nuclear weapons is a part of that plan.

No one denies that North Korea has reason to feel backed into a corner and no one denies that they have the right to defend themselves as Russia and China are doing against the same enemy.

Logic and fairness dictate that imposing an economic blockade on North Korea is tantamount to war and that this can only have the effect of making North Korea even more desperate and determined to react. This reaction to the situation in Korea is in stark contrast to the reasoned approach Russia, with Chinese support, has taken in Syria or Russia’s handling of the on-going crisis in Ukraine.

It would seem obvious that the best way to reduce tension in Korea is to support North Korea in the same way that Syria has been supported, with some guarantee of its security and a diplomatic initiative to force the Americans to back down and come to terms with the government and people of the country. North Korea has stated time and again that all it wants is to be left alone and to have a peace treaty with the United States and a guarantee that it will not be attacked. Then it is prepared to consider eliminating its nuclear weapons systems.

The world breathes a sigh of relief that a peaceful resolution of the war in Syria has shifted from a dream to a distinct possibility but now we face the risk of world war in Asia. North Korea is Asia’s eastern flank. If it is destroyed and its territory occupied by the United States and Japan and other allies, can China and Russia have any doubt what will happen next? It would seem that North Korea is a natural ally of both, but evidently not.

Meanwhile, the world watches the American elections and what it sees is a Fellini film in which the most grotesque of humanity vie for power over the military forces now threatening the world. President Obama, the man who won the Nobel Peace Prize, is the same man who ordered the military operations in Korea.

This is about as peaceful a leader as we can hope for in that militaristic nation. What comes next will be even worse. Surely, there must be an attempt to bring peace to Korea as in Syria. But for that to take place, the pressure on North Korea must be reduced, and its government treated with respect and dignity. The doors to dialogue must be opened, instead of slammed shut, so reason and goodwill can prevail over the fear and malevolence that now guide the actions of the big powers. In Syria, war turns toward peace but, in Korea, peace is threatened by war. Both have their logic; the logic of peace and war, but the world is weary of the logic of war.

Christopher Black is an international criminal lawyer based in Toronto, he is a member of the Law Society of Upper Canada and he is known for a number of high-profile cases involving human rights and war crimes, especially for the online magazine “New Eastern Outlook”.

http://journal-neo.org/2016/03/20/syria-and-korea-the-logic-of-peace-and-war/

North Korea is a nuclear power. Here’s why the world just has to live with it.

What are Washington and its allies to do about North Korea? In January, Pyongyang tested its fourth nuclear device. It launched a satellite in February to gather additional data for developing an intercontinental ballistic missile. Meanwhile, North Korean engineers keep cranking out weapons material that could fuel dozens of nuclear bombs in years to come.

The international response continues to be ineffective. After much pouting from concerned countries, the United Nations Security Council recently responded to the new round of tests with an impressive new collection of sanctions.

The sanctions promise to halt the movement of contraband by monitoring North Korean commerce moving in and out of the country, prohibit the export of jet and rocket fuel to Pyongyang, block the North’s ability to conduct international financial transactions and ban the export of North Korean coal and minerals. But they are not enough. Even combined with the previous sanctions, this will not move the North off its nuclear pedestal. It is simply too late.

First, it is inconceivable that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un would give up the weapon that places his nation in the exclusive global nuclear club. Pyongyang has invested so much and come so far to mature a nuclear program that provides it with an atomic deterrent and a means of intimidation. Second, history repeatedly shows that sanctions are unlikely to be fully enforced or sufficient to squeeze North Korea.

Washington and its allies must now come to the realization that it is time to adapt. Adaptation has already begun. South Korea has made a multi-year commitment to increase its military budget and modernize its conventional forces. It has begun deploying longer-range surface-to-surface missiles and is acquiring U.S. F-35 strike aircraft. Seoul is talking with Washington about installing the sophisticated missile defense system Terminal High Altitude Area Defense or THAAD. Collectively, beefing up of its conventional forces bolsters Seoul’s deterrence capabilities.

Yet many in South Korea still fear that Seoul’s military buildup will not be enough. Some conservative legislators and others both in and out of government have called for the country to go nuclear. Were that to occur, Seoul would follow the path of several countries — the Soviet

Union, Britain, France and Pakistan — that responded in kind to their adversaries’ possession of nuclear weapons.

However, any move by South Korea to break its Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty vows would pit it against its crucial ally, Washington, which doggedly opposes nuclear proliferation whether by friend or foe.

In addition, nuclear acquisition would present South Korea with its own challenges. Though the country has the technical capacity to build a bomb, it could take years for it to perfect a delivery device and marshal an effective deterrent, or use doctrine. The effort would prove costly because it would divert scarce defence dollars from other vital security needs. It would also raise the ire of China.

Impressing upon North Korea that no good will comes from its bomb remains critical. It raises the question of whether more good could come from Washington’s return of nuclear weapons to South Korea — the United States removed them in 1991 as the Cold War ended.

Given North Korea’s unabated nuclear development, is it time to reassess that 1991 decision? Re-installing the weapons would raise a host of additional issues: Would deployment enhance deterrence or make Pyongyang more trigger happy? Would it provide Seoul enough reassurance to eliminate any inclination to go nuclear? Or is offshore deployment enough?

Then, there is the matter of Beijing’s response. Would the return of the bomb to South Korean soil prompt a major dustup in Sino-U.S. relations? Or would it demonstrate Washington’s commitment to assure the security of all its East Asian allies?

These open questions deserve robust public debate in the United States and South Korea. But so does another matter, now even more off the radar. Is it time for the United States to reach out to North Korea, to formally concede what it cannot change — namely that North Korea is a nuclear-armed nation — not as any favour to the Stalinist regime but to generate a quid pro quo, the establishment of official liaison offices in the two countries’ capitals? This would put in place a permanent face-to-face communication link to defuse the risk of war should tensions mount.

The alternative — keeping North Korea ever more isolated — perpetuates the fantasy that Pyongyang still can be sanctioned or otherwise induced to give up its nuclear bombs. Rather, the challenge now is not to bolster quixotic policies but to nurture others that assure Kim’s bomb does not give birth to a 21st-century nuclear war.

By Bennett Ramberg March 10, 2016 Bennett Ramberg served as a policy analyst in the Bureau of Politico-Military Affairs in the George H.W. Bush administration. He is the author of “Nuclear Power Plants as Weapons for the Enemy.”

SPOKESMAN FOR DPRK ASSOCIATION FOR HUMAN RIGHTS STUDIES TERMS U.S.WORST HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSER

Pyongyang, July 13 (KCNA) -- A spokesman for the DPRK Association for Human Rights Studies made public a statement on Wednesday as regards the recent serious human rights abuse in the U.S. that drew the world criticism.

The statement said: Some days ago white police officers shot to death black men in Minnesota and Louisiana States, the U.S., sparking mass protests in some regions that left police officers dead and wounded in gunfire in Texas State.

The exchange of shootings between the protesters and the white police escalates to a serious racial conflict. What is ridiculous is that Obama patronized the white police in his racial discrimination act, saying that the demented individual who carried out those attacks against the police officers is not representative of black Americans.

This shows Obama is the very one who fosters the human rights abuses in the U.S. The U.S. is, indeed, the worst human rights ‘abuser’ and the tundra of human rights as it is riddled with human rights abuses such as racial discrimination at the tacit connivance and under the patronage of the government.

This is a stark reality in the U.S., but the U.S. raised a hue and cry over the human rights situation of other countries, styling itself a "human rights judge", a gangster-like action mocking the international community.

Shamelessness and wickedness of the U.S. find their vivid expression in the anti-DPRK "human rights" racket. Being taken aback by the ever-growing international prestige of the DPRK, the U.S. persistently resorts to the military threat and blackmail and heinous "human rights" racket against the DPRK.

The U.S. recently dared hurt the dignity of the supreme leadership of the DPRK by announcing the State Department's report related with the DPRK's "human rights" issue and a "list of targets of special sanctions" by the Department of Treasury pursuant to it.

It is a foolish dream for the U.S. to try to undermine the single-minded unity around the leader with base accusations against the supreme leadership of the DPRK and "bring down" its social system.

The more the U.S. ratchets up the anti-DPRK "human rights" racket, the firmer our single-minded unity centering around the leader will get and this will only make the Korean people harden their will to protect Korean-style socialism under which they enjoy genuine human rights.

The U.S. had better stop its human rights abuses before talking about other's "human rights" issue in the guise of deceptive "human rights champion". The international community should bring the Obama group to the human rights court for patronizing the worst human rights abuses, to begin with.

U.S. Should Be Sternly Judged as Heinous War Criminal State, Human Rights Abuser: Spokesman for DPRK FM

Pyongyang, July 13 (KCNA) -- A spokesman for the Foreign Ministry of the DPR of Korea gave the following answer to the question put by KCNA on Wednesday as regards the announcement of an official report in UK on unreasonable Iraqi war:

At the end of its seven-year survey, the committee for the probe into the truth about the Iraqi war, organized by the UK government in 2009, announced a report concluding that the Iraqi war ignited by the U.S. in 2003 was illegal and unreasonable.

The report noted that the U.S. allegation about Iraq's "production of biochemical weapons" and the "threat of its WMDs", a direct motive of the war, was totally groundless and the Iraqi war was launched despite the opposition of the most member nations of the UN Security Council.

As the UK officially admitted the illegality of the Iraqi war which was unleashed by the U.S. fabrication called "threat of WMDs", it was proved once again that the U.S. is, indeed, the root cause of state terrorism, human rights violations and all misfortune in the world.

The U.S. can never evade the blame for the massacre of many innocent Iraqi civilians, chaos in Iraq and the international security threats such as Islamic extremism, terrorism and refugee crisis in the Mideast region.

The U.S. should be sternly judged by mankind as a heinous war criminal state and human rights abuser as it unhesitatingly hatched mean plots and perpetrated war of aggression in a bid to realize its ambition for domination.

Nevertheless, the U.S., styling itself an "international judge", is more undisguised committing interference in internal affairs of other countries and encroachment upon their sovereignty like a thief crying "stop thief!"

Recently, the U.S. dared take issue with the dignity of the supreme leadership of the DPRK while talking about the "human rights issue", not content with resorting to the moves against it.

This is the worst crime which can never be pardoned. All facts clearly prove that the only way of defending the sovereignty of the country and nation is to bolster up one's own strength and how just the DPRK was when it decided to have the strongest military muscle for self-defence as now.

We will in the future, too, bolster up the war deterrent with the nuclear force as a pivot as firm as a rock and thus resolutely shatter the unheard-of vicious hostile acts and new war moves of the U.S. against the DPRK and firmly defend peace and security on the Korean peninsula and in the region.

THE “THEORY OF THE NORTH KOREAN THREAT” AND THE TRUE INTENTION OF THE U.S.

 (Essay of Kim Kwang Hak, the researcher of the IFAS of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the DPRK) The moves, describing the DPRK’s measures designed to increase the self-defensive capacity as the “threat” to peace and security, are becoming more open in the wake of the DPRK’s successful test-launch of the surface-to-surface intermediate-range strategic ballistic rocket “Hwasong-10”.

The U.S. is insisting with several assertions that “The U.S. strongly condemns this missile launch of the North Korea.”, “This is the flagrant violation of the resolutions of the UN Security Council and it only escalates and increases the tension and the instability on the Korean Peninsula in the region.”, and “North Korea should refrain from committing to further provocative actions and blackmails.” With all these assertions, the U.S., in collusion with south Korea, is again planning to conduct large scale joint military exercises aiming at the DPRK in coming August.

At present, the Korean Peninsula is returning to the status of being hovered by the black clouds of the nuclear war. This essay will lay bare not only the injustice of the “ Theory of the North Korean threat” touted by the U.S., that DPRK’s measures to increase the defense capacity pose threat to peace and stability, but also the true intentions of the U.S..

The U.S. is describing the DPRK’s measures to bolster the military capabilities for selfdefense with the nuclear force as a pivot, as the “provocative and aggravating action” which destroys the peace and stability and further aggravates the situation on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia. If that is the case, the question is whether the DPRK’s measures to increase the defensive capacity pose real “threat” and “challenges” to the peace and stability and constitute the factor of heightening tensions.

To conclude, the DPRK’s measures could never be interpreted as “threats” or “provocations” in view of the international law and reality. First, the DPRK’s measure to consolidate the national defense power is legitimate exercise of the self-defense rights which fully complies with the UN Charter and the other international laws.

In the draft of the “Responsibility of States for Internationally Wrongful Acts” adopted in the 53rd session of the UN committee of the International Law in November 2001, Article 3 of Chapter 1 of Part One “The Internationally Wrongful Act of State” stipulates that “The characterization of an act of a State as internationally wrongful is governed by international law. Such characterization is not affected by the characterization of the same act as lawful by internal law.” Article 21of Chapter 5 of this Act stipulates that “the wrongfulness of an act of a State is precluded if the act constitutes a lawful measure of self-defense taken in conformity with the Charter of the United Nations.”. Article 2 of Chapter 1 of UN Charter indicates as follows: “1.

The Organization is based on the principle of the sovereign equality of all its [3] Members.” “4. All Members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, or in any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the United Nations.”. All of these articles show that no international law exists to make an issue of the DPRK’s measure of strengthening national defense capacity.

There are no phrases in the UN Charter which stipulate that the nuclear test and the launch of the ballistic rocket and the satellite pose grave “threats” to the international peace and security. The UN Secretariat fails to give an answer to the letter from the permanent representative of the DPRK to UN, who demanded it to explain about the legal basis on which our nuclear tests, satellite and ballistic rocket launches were defined as the “threat to the international peace and security”.

The U.S. is the first country which developed nuclear weapons, the only nation which had used them and maintains the largest nuclear forces in the world. If the nuclear tests of the DPRK should be called into question, the 1, 000 and odd nuclear tests, which were conducted by the U.S., should have met with the condemnation in the strongest terms. If the test launches of the ballistic rockets by the DPRK should be called into question, it is reasonable to call the U.S. in question first, which tested and possessed the largest stock of the ballistic rockets in the world. Second, the DPRK’s measures to consolidate the national defense power is the legitimate self-defensive measures in view of the level of the decade-long U.S. hostile policy towards the DPRK, of which concentrated expression is its military threat and blackmails. The data, released by the SIPRI (Stockholm International Peace Research Institute) on June 13th 2016, tells us that the stock of the US nuclear weapons amounts to 7,000. It also reveals that [4] the US administration is planning to appropriate 348 billion US$ for the modernization of the nuclear weapons during the period of 2015-2024. Such the biggest nuclear weapon state has been pursuing the hostile policy towards the DPRK for the past decade. The U.S has never recognized the sovereignty of the DPRK since its founding, and has been pursuing political, military and economic hostile policies towards it. The most important component of the U.S.’s hostile policy towards the DPRK is the military threat and blackmail, and the key point here is the nuclear threat. Actually, the U.S. is severely threatening the DPRK’s right to existence, pulling in strategic assets including strategic bombers, “B-2” and “B-52H”, stealth fighter bomber “F-22” and “Ohio-class” nuclear-powered submarine into south Korea. The U.S. is staging large-scale joint military drills aiming at the DPRK every year and is continuously converting its scale and character into that of pre-emptive manner. The DPRK pursues the development of intermediate and long-range strategic ballistic rocket and accelerates the development of smaller, lighter and diversified nuclear weapons with its main objective in deterring nuclear war threats posed by the U.S. Respected leader Kim Jong Un, the chairman of the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) has declared that the true enemy that our strategic nuclear force has to face is the nuclear war itself. If a country brings in nuclear bombers, nuclear submarines, nuclear aircraft carriers and missile defense system around the U.S. and stages large-scale joint military drill every year, the U.S. would make a fuss. It is well understood when we remember how the U.S. reacted to the “Caribbean Crisis” in 1962. A nuclear war can be checked only when we depend on powerful nuclear deterrent. The bigger and the more powerful the nuclear strike capability is, the bigger the force to deter the aggression and the nuclear war is. [5] This is why the U.S., with the world largest nuclear arsenal, is continuously pouring huge fund into the modernization of the nuclear weapons. 2 Any person interested in the Korean peninsula issue would raise the question why the situation continuously falls into the worst state far from the settlement of peace on the Korean peninsula until today, 60 odd years after the sound of gunshots of war went off. The main cause of which the situation on the Korean peninsula could not be able to escape from the vicious cycle of continuous tension lies in the U.S. perverse viewpoint on the DPRK and further undisguised military threat of the U.S. which is continuously bringing in its strategic assets. Respected leader Kim Jong Un, the chairman of the WPK said in the report on the review of the work of the Central Committee of WPK at its 7th Congress, that U.S. is now clamoring about a "threat" by taking issue with our self-defensive measures designed to increase our defense capabilities, and with our peaceful space exploration; this is merely an excuse to justify its aggressive policy of hostility towards the DPRK and its strategy to achieve hegemony in Asia. The first motive of U.S. making fuss about “ Theory of the North Korean threat” is to justify their aggressive hostile policy towards the DPRK. The U.S. hostile policy towards the DPRK is the most brutal policy aiming to pull down our ideology and system by dint of its American-style “democracy” and market economy, and to swallow our whole nation and territory by dint of aggressive military power. The U.S. policy makers emphasize on every occasion that they’re not pursuing hostile policy towards the DPRK. However, the U.S. president personally stepped forward in January 2015 to describe the DPRK as “brutal authoritarian regime” and further mentioned that “Over time you will see a [6] regime like this will collapse”. This clearly shows how deceptive the U.S. rulers are. The “Theory of the North Korean threat” is U.S.’s excuse to justify their aggressive and anachronistic hostile policy towards the DPRK. The U.S. is pursuing the policy in which they continuously spread the “Theory of the North Korean threat” to continue “isolating” the DPRK by contra-posing it to international community; and constantly enhances the level of military threat against the DPRK to impede the DPRK’s construction of economic power and effort to improve people’s standard of living; and furthermore eliminate it physically. The second motive of the U.S. making a fuss about the “Theory of the North Korean threat” is to speed up in full-scale their “Asia-Pacific rebalancing” strategy for securing its supremacy in Asia by emphasizing the “North Korean threat”. In a word, the “Asia-Pacific rebalancing” strategy of the Obama administration means that the U.S. converts its political, economic and military preference to the region of Asia. The U.S. is picking the dispute over maritime dominium and “North Korean provocations” as the justification for moving their strategic pivot to Asia, but their true intention is to, based on “military superiority”, deter the growth of the countries including China and Russia which could interrupt the establishment of world order by the U.S. To meet this end, U.S. is aiming to achieve above-mentioned goals by engaging in largescale joint military drills and deploying strategic assets in the relevant region, while avoiding the direct clash with big powers. Precisely to meet this end, they’re describing the DPRK’s measures designed to increase its defense capacity as “threat”. Recently, evaluations have been presented by the experts on the Korean issue about the main intention of the U.S. for deploying “THAAD” in south Korea and strengthening U.S.-Japan- [7] south Korea trilateral military alliance. Here are some of those evaluations; “this is because China-U.S. relationship is rapidly switching from the state of being partner and competitor to the one of confronting”, “North Korea issue plays only ‘trigger role’ here making U.S. to act”, “U.S. would have made up another excuse even though North Korea had not done anything while sitting silently” etc. Just like a wolf eating up a young goat in the end on one excuse or another in the “Aesop’s fable”, so will the U.S. invent any excuse to seek their interest by making a fuss over the “North Korean threat” even though the DPRK does not take any hardline measure. The reality is that U.S.’s ambition for world dominance could and will not change but will be pursued more viciously in a more sly way. ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ The DPRK’s possession of powerful nuclear deterrent has made it possible to put an end to the U.S. history of aggression and nuclear threat, to ensure the balance of force on Korean peninsula and to promote the construction of a peaceful world without a nuclear war. However, the U.S. is still possessed by the anachronistic hostile standpoint on the DPRK and is openly posing military threat upon the DPRK by pulling in its strategic nuclear asset. In the case where a undesirable situation would be developed once again on the Korean peninsula in the future, all the responsibilities will be borne by U.S. itself which bears distorted attitude towards the DPRK and has made frivolous and strategically wrong decision such as bringing in its strategic asset. The DPRK will wage a vigorous struggle to remove, by means of its powerful nuclear deterrent, the root cause of the threat of nuclear war created by the U.S. and to safeguard peace in the Korean peninsula and rest of the world. 

DPRK Permanent Representative to UN Sends Letter to UN Under¬Secretary General

Pyongyang, July 9 (KCNA) -- The DPRK permanent representative to the UN Friday sent a letter to the UN under-secretary general as regards the letter sent by the UN Secretariat in response to the letter of the participants in the joint conference of the government, political parties, and organizations of the DPRK dated June 9, 2016.

The letter said:

The peace, security and reunification are the crucial issues to be addressed urgently under the current situation of the Korean peninsula, which is being driven towards the extreme danger of nuclear war.

As well known, the UN adopted resolution 3390 at the 30th Session of the UN General Assembly in 1975, resolution A/res/55/11 at the 55th Session of the UNGA in 2000 and resolution A/res/62/5 at the62nd Session of the UNGA in 2007 respectively with regard to the peace, security and reunification of the Korean peninsula.

In the resolutions are reflected the issues of dismantling so called "United Nations Command" stationed in south Korea, withdrawing outside forces, replacing the armistice agreement with peace agreement, implementing the June 15 joint declaration and the October 4 declaration adopted between the north and south.

The resolutions are reflecting the agreement of the north and the south and the good will of the international society and it is regrettable that they are not being implemented until today due to the hostile policy of the United States against the DPRK and its interference.

Artillery Bureau of General Staff of KPA Strongly Warns against U.S. and S. Korea's Decision to Deploy THAAD

Pyongyang, July 11 (KCNA) -- The U.S. and the south Korean puppet group decided to deploy THAAD despite the unanimous opposition and rejection of the DPRK and many other countries.

The Artillery Bureau of the General Staff of the Korean People's Army (KPA) declared in a strong warning on Monday:

The THAAD deployment is a direct product of the sinister ambition of the U.S. to dominate the world by holding its military hegemony in the Asia-Pacific region and the south Korean puppet group's vicious moves to escalate the confrontation with the fellow countrymen in the north in a bid to invade the north, backed by its master.

Under the pressure of the U.S. master the Park Geun Hye group decided to introduce the unfinished THAAD whose military effectiveness has not been verified and which may cause casualties by superpower radio waves by paying huge funds running into astronomical figures collected from the south Korean people as taxes. This clearly proves that the Park regime is a group of traitors without equals.

The Artillery Bureau of the General Staff of the KPA serves the following strong warning to the U.S. and the south Korean puppet warmongers upon the authorization:

Firstly, the DPRK will take a physical counter-action to thoroughly control THAAD, aggression means of the U.S. for world domination, from the moment its location and place have been confirmed in south Korea.

DPRK Foreign Ministry Spokesman Warns U.S. of Its Moves for Nuclear War

Pyongyang, July 11 (KCNA) -- A spokesman for the DPRK Foreign Ministry released a statement on Monday as regards the U.S. ever more undisguised military moves to render the situation on the Korean Peninsula extremely tense.

The U.S. already introduced Stennis and Ronald Reagan nuclear carrier task forces, nuclear- powered submarine Mississippi, B-52Hs and other strategic assets into the vicinity of south Korea. Recently it announced a plan to conduct drills under the simulated conditions of striking major military facilities of the DPRK by transferring 12 F-16s under the 169th flying corps from the U.S. mainland to the Osan Air Force base in south Korea.

This proves that the U.S. seeks to bring dark clouds of a nuclear war to hang over the Korean peninsula at any cost by staging joint military drills with the south Korean puppet forces in August and its scenario has entered into the phase of its implementation.

The U.S., seized with an anachronistic hostile policy towards the DPRK and the daydream of carrying out its strategy for world domination, seeks to turn the peninsula into a theatre of a thermonuclear war and thus implement its aggressive pivot-to Asia-Pacific strategy in real earnest.

The U.S. officially decided to deploy THAAD in south Korea to achieve this objective.

It is the calculation of the U.S. to retain its military edge in the Asia-Pacific and realize its wild ambition for dominating it while staging aggressive war drills with the DPRK as its primary target and stepping up the arms buildup and the creation of a military bloc.

DPRK Government Sends Message to U.S. Government

Pyongyang, July 11 (KCNA) -- The DPRK government sent the U.S. government a message on July 10 through the DPRK permanent mission to the UN in connection with the fact that the U.S. recently impaired the dignity of the supreme leadership of the DPRK by releasing what they call "report on human rights" and "list of targets of special sanctions" related to the DPRK.

The DPRK government in its message clarified its stand to take practical actions as already declared in the statement of the Foreign Ministry.

The message vehemently denounced the recent U.S. sanctions measure which impaired the dignity of the supreme leadership of the DPRK as the most hideous criminal act and a declaration of war against the DPRK.

Now that the U.S. refused to comply with the DPRK's demand for the immediate withdrawal of the sanctions measure, the DPRK government notified the U.S. that it would take practical actions against the U.S. stage by stage as already clarified and would totally cut off New York DPRK-U.S. contact channel, the only official contact channel, at the first phase, the message said.

The DPRK government informed the U.S. government of its principled stand that from now on it would deal with all the issues arising in the DPRK-U.S. relations under wartime law of the DPRK and the issue of detained Americans is no exception and the U.S. is wholly to blame for the ensuing unpleasant things happening in the bilateral ties.

CPRC Spokesman Slams Park Geun Hye's Remarks on "Possible Terrorism of North"

Pyongyang, July 10 (KCNA) -- A spokesman for the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Country of the DPRK Sunday gave an answer to the question put by KCNA as regards the fact that the Park Geun Hye group is vociferating about the "possible terrorism of the north" in a bid to escalate the confrontation with the fellow countrymen in the north.

Park blustered at a "state council meeting" in Chongwadae on July 4 that "nowhere is safe from terrorism", "the north is attempting to perpetrate various forms of terrorism in an effort to cause conflict in the south Korean society" and "it is necessary to cope with the situation from the viewpoint that the north's terrorist act is imminent."

Earlier, the puppet prime minister of south Korea at the first meeting of the "State Measure Committee to Prevent Terrorism" raved that "there is concern that the north may abduct south Koreans abroad or use an international terrorist organization for committing terrorism" and "such sign had already been detected long ago."

The spokesman said that the fiction about "the north's terrorism" floated by the south Korean puppet regime is another grave politically-motivated provocation and a heinous action to ratchet up the confrontation with the DPRK.

He went on:

The "possible terrorism of the north" much touted by the puppet regime while talking about "relations with an international terrorist organization" is nothing but sheer sophism intended to divert the public criticism of it to the DPRK.