DPRK FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESMAN HITS PRESIDENTIAL STATEMENT OF ASIA EUROPE MEETING SUMMIT

Pyongyang, July 18 (KCNA) -- A spokesman for the DPRK Foreign Ministry gave the following answer to a question raised by KCNA Sunday as regards the recent presidential statement of the Asia-Europe Meeting summit accusing the DPRK: The 11th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) summit held on Saturday made public a presidential statement terming the DPRK's bolstering of nuclear deterrent a violation of UNSC "resolutions" and a threat to the regional and global peace and security, pulling up the DPRK for no ground.

This is a reckless act of further aggravating the situation of the Korean peninsula by taking advantage of the U.S. extreme anti-DPRK racket. It is none other than the U.S. that creates a hair-trigger nuclear war danger on the Korean peninsula and wrecks peace and security in the region and the rest of the world.

The U.S. is now introducing into south Korea nuclear submarines, formations of strategic bombers and other strategic nuclear strike means and latest war hardware including THAAD one after another while ceaselessly staging nuclear war exercises for aggression to bring the dark clouds of a nuclear war to the Korean peninsula.

Besides, it has sought to encroach upon the sovereignty and vital rights of the DPRK and isolate and stifle it. Not content with such attempt, it has recently got hell-bent on unprecedented sanctions and pressures on the DPRK, daring hurt the dignity of its supreme leadership.

It is a legitimate measure for self-defence to cope with the ever-escalating U.S. frantic hostile policy and nuclear threat that the DPRK secured powerful nuclear deterrent and has bolstered it up both in quality and quantity.

Growing stronger is the will of the service personnel and people of the DPRK to totally smash the U.S. and other hostile forces' high-handed and arbitrary practices and military pressure with the toughest counteraction.

The DPRK will invariably advance straight along the road of independence, Songun and socialism, regardless of what others say, and fight for genuine international justice as an independent power and nuclear power.