North Korea has lambasted the U. S. for relisting it as a state sponsor of terrorism, calling the move a \u00ab\u00a0serious provocation\u00a0\u00bb and vowing to continue buildi<\/b>
\nNorth Korea has lambasted the U. S. for relisting it as a state sponsor of terrorism, calling the move a \u201cserious provocation\u201d and vowing to continue building up its \u201ctreasured nuclear sword.\u201d
\u201cThe U. S., the kingpin of all kinds of terrorism who cannot even prevent terror in its own territory, is acting like an \u2018international judge on terrorism\u2019 while attaching or removing the label of \u2018state sponsor of terrorism\u2019 on sovereign countries,\u201d the North\u2019s official Korean Central News Agency quoted a Foreign Ministry spokesperson as saying late Wednesday. \u201cThis is clearly an absurdity and a mockery to the world peace and security.\u201d
The remarks were the first from Pyongyang since U. S. President Donald Trump announced Monday the designation to re-list North Korea as one of just three other countries as state sponsors of terrorism. North Korea was removed the list in 2008 as part of an attempt to salvage international talks aimed at halting it nuclear ambitions, but the talks, which involved six countries including Japan, collapsed soon after and haven\u2019t been revived since.
On Tuesday, the U. S. Treasury Department also slapped a new round of sanctions on Pyongyang as part of its bid to stymie the country\u2019s nuclear and ballistic missile program, targeting North Korean companies and ships as well as Chinese trading companies.
The North has ramped up its weapons tests this year, conducting its largest atomic blast to date in September and launching dozens of missiles \u2014 including two over Japan that experts say are designed to carry nuclear payloads \u2014 as it seeks to develop a a nuclear-tipped missile capable of striking the U. S. mainland.
\u201cThe nuclear weapons of the DPRK are the deterrence to safeguard our sovereignty and our rights to existence and development from the U. S. heinous hostile policy and nuclear threats,\u201d the KCNA statement read, using the formal name for the North. \u201cAs long as the U. S. continues with its anti-DPRK hostile policy, our deterrence will be further strengthened.\u201d
The relisting, the North added, had reaffirmed that \u201cwe must continue to keep the treasured nuclear sword in our hands more tightly.\u201d
Earlier this week, the North issued a veiled threat of a nuclear strike on Japan, vowing to make the country \u201cdisappear at once\u201d if Tokyo continues with what the North termed \u201cwar hysteria.\u201d
Wednesday\u2019s remarks have raised concerns that the North could use the relisting as an excuse for fresh missile or nuclear weapons tests.
In a separate statement also carried by KCNA late Wednesday, a spokesman for the Korea Asia-Pacific Peace Committee blasted the relisting as \u201can extra-large provocation, tantamount to another declaration of war.\u201d
\u201cThe U. S. should know that the DPRK\u2019s future countermeasures will be up to the former\u2019s action,\u201d the spokesman said, while also issuing a warning to Washington\u2019s allies, Tokyo and Seoul.
\u201cWe take this opportunity to warn the Abe group of Japan and the south Korean authorities, who act as puppets and faithful dogs of the U. S., zealously working to please their master, not to go reckless any longer if they are concerned about their future,\u201d the spokesman said in reference to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.<\/p>\n