N. Korea condemns NATO declaration on weapon exports to Russia
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un holds theThird Enlarged Meeting of Eighth Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) in Pyongyang, North Korea, in this photo released by the country's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) June 24, 2022. KCNA via REUTERS
North Korea on Saturday denounced a NATO summit declaration that condemned its weapons exports to Russia, calling it “illegal” and warned of strong “strategic counteraction.”
A Foreign Ministry spokesperson made the statement after a NATO summit in Washington concluded where leaders of the 32-member alliance and four Indo-Pacific partners – South Korea, Japan, Australia and New Zealand – discussed concerns about growing military ties between Pyongyang and Moscow.
The declaration that was issued Wednesday stressed that North Korea’s export of artillery shells and ballistic missiles to Russia violates numerous U.N. Security Council resolutions.
NATO also expressed “great concern” about the deepening partnership between North Korea and Russia.
In a statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), the spokesperson said the declaration incites a new Cold War and military confrontation, South Korean news agency Yonhap News reported.
He said that the situation requires a new strategy to counter U.S. attempts to expand its military alliances.
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) vowed to deter aggression and defend peace with stronger strategic counteractions, according to the statement.
