Pyongyang, May 5 (KCNA) -- A spokesman for the Institute for American Studies of the Foreign Ministry of the DPRK released the following statement Friday:
The U.S. carried out inter-continental ballistic missile test-fire on May 3 in the wake of the one on April 26 at a time when the situation on the Korean peninsula has reached the extremely dangerous phase due to the largest-ever joint military drills waged by the U.S. after introducing huge nuclear strategic assets, and the military provocation moves conducted by it.
The U.S. claims the two ICBM test-fires conducted just in a little over one week were planned one year ago and they have nothing to do with the DPRK's nuclear and long-range ballistic missile launch but many world media are concerned that the consecutive ICBM tests by the U.S. can push the acute situation on the Korean peninsula to graver phase.
The U.S. maintains it may carry out missile launches but the DPRK can not and that its launches are "contribution" to peace and security while the DPRK's are "provocation" straining tension. This sophism is the height of double-dealing standards.
The UN Security Council has kept mum about the U.S. test-fire of ICBM which flew more than 6 000 km across the ocean, even while crying out for "denunciation" and "sanctions" as for ballistic rocket test-fires the DPRK carried out in its own territorial land and waters.
The UN Security Council which calls into question only the DPRK's ballistic rocket test-fires while turning an unseeing eye to the U.S. ICBM test-fires under the pressure of Washington's high-handed and arbitrary practices deserves the name of "double-dealing standards Security Council" or "U.S. Security Council".
In order to realize genuine international justice and build a fair and peaceful world, the U.S. double-dealing yardstick must be broken and the UN Security Council moving at the beck and call of the U.S. must be reformed.
The DPRK will bolster the capabilities for Korean-style preemptive nuclear attack at remarkably higher pace as it has already clarified as long as the U.S. continues its hostile policy toward the DPRK and vicious nuclear threat and blackmail.
If the UN Security Council does not call the U.S. to account for its aggressive and provocative large-scale joint military exercises and ICBM launches, the DPRK will not recognize any UNSC's "resolution" taken over the DPRK's ballistic rocket launches but continue to disclose the absurdity of the UN "sanction resolutions".
No one is entitled to find fault with the DPRK's exercise of its just right to defend its sovereignty and right to existence. -0-
The U.S. maneuvers to provoke a war and the DPRK’s war deterrence
Research Report of the Institute for Disarmament and Peace of the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Due to the hostile policy towards the DPRK and nuclear threat and blackmail of the U.S., the Korean Peninsula and its vicinity are exposed to the constant danger of nuclear war.
The confrontation between the DPRK and the U.S. has lasted for more than half a century. But the provocative military maneuvers of the U.S. have never been so aggressive and belligerent in terms of scale and nature as in recent days.
By staging reckless joint military exercises, the U.S. escalated tension on the Korean Peninsula to the maximum and attempted an actual surprise preemptive strike against the DPRK. Even at this moment, it is openly resorting to the evil intention to overthrow the DPRK’s ideology and system by means of force.
The Institute for Disarmament and Peace of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the DPRK releases this Report to reveal the danger of the heinous maneuvers of the U.S. persisting in perilous military actions driving the situation on the Korean Peninsula to the brink of thermonuclear war and to clarify the validity of the DPRK’s principled stand to frustrate the aggressive actions of the U.S. with its treasured nuclear sword of defending independence and justice, and firmly safeguard peace and stability in and around the Korean peninsula.
1
The provocative military actions of the U.S. reached their peak during the period of this year’s Key Resolve and Foal Eagle 17 joint military exercises.
The danger of the aggressive joint military exercises of the U.S. was proven, first of all, by the scale of the massive nuclear strategic assets and aggressive military forces that the U.S. introduced into south Korea.
The U.S. mobilized a huge amount of military forces including the aggressive military forces in their mainland and their military bases near the Korean peninsula as well as the U.S. troops in south Korea and the south Korean puppet forces totaling almost 300,000.
Forces of aggression and strategic assets more than enough to conduct a full-scale war were mobilized. They included nuclear strategic bombers such as B-52H, B-1B, B-2A from Guam and the U.S. mainland, F-22A and F-35B stealth fighters stationed in the U.S. military base in Japan and nuclear aircraft carriers such as Ronald Regan and Carl Vinson that serve as the spearhead of the U.S. forces for overseas aggression.
In the past, the U.S. included special warfare drills only as a part of the military exercises where only a fraction of its troops took part in.
However, the number of troops participating in the special warfare drills has tripled this year.
At least 3,000 deadly troops took part in the reckless "special operation" rehearsals alone.
They included Ranger Unit of 75th Airborne Regiment of the U.S. Army, Green Berets Special Units No. 1 and 19, 353rd Special Warfare Corps of the U.S. Air Force, 1st, 3rd 5th and 7th teams of the First Special Warfare Corps of the U.S. Navy, two battalions of the First Stryker Brigade of the 25th Division of the U.S. Army, one battalion of the 66th Armored Regiment and the 31st Naval Expedition Corps of the U.S. Marines.
As mentioned above, a huge number of aggressive military forces and nuclear assets were crammed into the not-so-spacious southern part of the Korean Peninsula, which clearly shows that it is not merely a drill but the one in simulation of an all-out war against the DPRK.
It is only obvious that it was not just for a mere drill, but a simulation of an all-out war against the DPRK that such a huge number of troops and massive nuclear strategic assets were all deployed in the southern half of a small peninsula.
The aggressive and provocative nature of the joint military exercises of the U.S. is revealed in their scenarios.
After discarding the spurious mask of "annual" and "defensive" drills, the US conducted joint military exercises more recklessly than ever according to the scenario for preemptive strike including“OPLAN 5015”and“4D Operation Plan”with a focus on “ precision strike on the DPRK’s supreme headquarters and its main strategic bases such as nuclear and missile installations.
The U.S. special warfare units like the 6th team of the“Navy Seal”, known as “warriors in camouflage” and “Delta Force” belonging to the joint special warfare headquarters together with south Korean puppet special warfare forces viciously staged the surprise attack drills against the DPRK.
The latest type“Grey Eagle” drones specially designed for assassination of enemy leadership and destruction of their core facilities, formations of special operation aircrafts capable of vertical takeoff and landing(VTOL), “Carl Vinson”nuclear carrier strike group to be used as the base for sorties of special operation units and the so-called “idealistic preemptive strike means”like nuclear strategic bombers and nuclear submarines that the U.S. claim to have been proven effective in the Middle East were all deployed for the drills.
During the joint military exercises the U.S. and south Korean puppets intensively conducted the drills a surprise attack on the DPRK on the ground, in seas, under waters and in the air.
On March 11, the nuclear aircraft carrier Carl Vinson strike group sailed by stealth into the waters of the East Sea of Korea near the territorial waters of the DPRK and staged a drill for mounting a surprise attack on targets in the DRPK with carrier-based aircrafts, cruise missiles and other means for four days.
From March 19 to 25, they deployed a large group of aggressors, including Carl Vinson nuclear aircraft carrier, nuclear submarines Columbus and Alexandria and Aegis destroyer in the East, West and South Seas of Korea and conducted drills for making a preemptive strike against the DPRK simultaneously and successively in and under the waters.
In the period between March 15 and 30, a total of nine B-1Bs deployed on Guam made five sorties and staged frantic nuclear bombing drills in the sky above south Korea for a surprise attack on major targets of the DPRK.
From March 21 to 24, a total of 20-odd F-35Bs belonging to the Pacific marine corps of the U.S. aggressor forces staged drills simulating precision strikes on major targets of the DPRK for 10 times.
On March 28, 29 and 30, B-1B formations crept into the sky above the Korean peninsula and conducted night rehearsals for preemptive nuclear strike on the DPRK.
In April, the U.S. imperialists and south Korean warmongers staged a large-scale combined firing drill in the training ground in Phochon, Kyonggi Province from April 13 to 26, as part of Foal Eagle joint war rehearsal, involving military hardware like tanks, armored vehicles, MRLS, helicopters and fighters. They also conducted “SsangYong” operation for one full month focusing on mobility, deployment, precision strike, surprise attack and occupation of the DPRK’s strategic depth and important bases.
The air force of the U.S. imperialist aggressors and south Korean puppet air force have been reportedly staging a large-scale joint air force exercises codenamed Max Thunder from April 14 to 28 involving more than 100 warplanes including fighters, transport planes and AWACS under the 7th Air Force Command, navy and marine corps of the U.S. and south Korean Air Force Operational Command. The commanders of 7th US Air Force Command and south Korean Air Force Operational Command went so frenzy as to switch their planes to command the drills on other’s plane.
The U.S., through its military exercises this time, not only posed open and direct military threat to the DPRK, but also attempted to put into practice its plans for preemptive strike and aggressive war against DPRK.
During the joint military drills, the U.S. administration cooked up arrogant and impertinent hostile policy of “maximum pressure and engagement” towards the DPRK. The U.S. vice president, during his junket to south Korea and its neighboring countries, made belligerent remarks that “the time for strategic patience is over” and “all options are on the table.”
No sooner than the U.S. had waged a surprise cruise missile strike on Syria and dropped Mother of All Bombs(MOAB) on Afghanistan, they vociferated that those served as “a warning” to the DPRK.
Since the end of last year, the US brought in secret more than six million tons of ammunition and equipment into south Korea. It also made preparations for emergency evacuation of the family members of US occupation troops and American citizenship holders in south Korea and silently deployed more than 100 land-mine proof armored vehicles on the offensive line to break through the military demarcation line. It was against this backdrop that it had staged joint military drills.
Under strong protection and active support of the U.S., the south Korean puppet army dared to conduct full-scale provocations to ignite a war in the hot-spot waters of the West Sea. In March alone, south Korean puppet army let 52 warships intrude the DPRK’s territorial waters for as many as 47 times. In late April, 101 warships intruded the DPRK’s territorial waters for 81 times, almost a double increase compared to the previous month.
Due to such reckless frenzy for military provocations by the U.S. and south Korean puppets, the tinderbox of nuclear war was actually burning at the last stage on the Korean peninsula.
But, the war provocations by the U.S. and its followers were reduced to naught by the self-defensive nuclear deterrence capability and the strong will of the army and the people of the DPRK to punish and annihilate the enemies.
The high-handed and outrageous maneuvers of dangerous military provocations by the US evoked indignation of the DPRK’s army and people, and the DPRK’s revolutionary military forces, having completed all preparations to counter an all-out war with an all-out war, a nuclear war with a nuclear strike of its own style, demonstrated the invincible strength to mercilessly exterminate the invaders.
The DPRK has already clarified that if it had not possessed the powerful nuclear forces and had not gotten itself ready to counter the U.S. and its vassal forces’ provocation with merciless military counteraction, the U.S. would have ignited an aggressive war on the Korean peninsula by all means.
The recent touch-and-go situation on the Korean peninsula once again testified to the fact that the DPKR’s powerful military forces including the strategic force, special operation units and the crack artillery forces became the fundamental guarantee for deterring the war and safeguarding peace and security on the Korean peninsula.
Owing to the extreme military provocations of the U.S., acute situation persists on the Korean peninsula even after the closure of the joint military exercises.
As the joint military drills were nearing an end, the U.S. again started cramming strategic assets such as nuclear aircraft carrier Carl Vinson strike group and nuclear-powered submarine Michigan into the waters around the Korean peninsula, thus increasing military pressure upon the DPRK a top notch.
Nuclear carrier Carl Vinson strike group which was heading home after participating in the Key Resolve and Foal Eagle 17 joint military drills steered its course back to the Korean peninsula to conduct DPRK-targeted air drill on April 28 with fighter jets of Japanese Air “Self-Defense Force” in the sky east of Okinawa and conducted another joint drill with south Korean puppet navy involving an Aegis destroyer, sea-patrol planes, helicopters and other operation means on April 29.
The U.S. committed another military provocation against the DPRK by bringing a formation of notorious nuclear strategic bomber B-1B into the sky above south Korea to conduct nukes-dropping drills on May 1, no later than a day after the aggressive Key Resolve and Foal Eagle 17 drills were over.
The formation of nuclear strategic bombers B-1B took off from Guam and silently flew into the sky over the East Sea of Korea in order to practice the procedure and method of coordinated operation with the means of strategic strike such as nuclear aircraft carrier and nuclear submarines deployed in the East Sea of Korea and went on to conduct a drill of dropping nuclear bombs on core facilities of the DPRK. This clearly shows that the nominal “end” of the large-scale joint military drills does not mean the end of the evil scheme of the U.S. eyeing for a surprise nuclear attack on the DPRK.
The U.S. is now further escalating tension on the Korean peninsula where thick clouds of nuclear war are already hovering about by staging joint military drills together with Japan, the U.K. and France around the peninsula from May 3.
Ulji Freedom Guardian joint military exercises to be conducted by the U.S. and south Korean puppets in coming August will once again drive the situation in the Korean peninsula into a crisis beyond control.
As seen above, the ceaseless aggressive war maneuvers of the U.S. in collusion with its vassal forces are causing the vicious cycle of escalation of tension on the Korean peninsula to repeat itself.
Durable peace and stability have not settled on the Korean peninsula nor in the north-east Asian region, but dark clouds of nuclear war constantly hover about. The root cause of the situation is the anachronistic hostile policy and its nuclear threat and blackmail of the U.S. against the DPRK.
The DPRK is compelled to equip itself with strong nuclear strike capability to root out the base of aggression as the U.S., the biggest nuclear power in the world, constantly imposes extreme nuclear threat and blackmail upon the DPRK while pursuing chronic and inveterate hostile policy against it.
The U.S. mouthing of so-called “dialogue” while maximizing political, economic and military pressure on the DPRK is no more than a crude double-faced trick and its bragging about denuclearization is none other than extension of the mugger’s ploy to open up the way for its war of aggression by disarming the DPRK of its nuclear weapons.
The history and the facts show that self-restraint and generosity cannot contain high-handed and arbitrary practices and aggression and war moves of the U.S., but only give further room for their growth.
The DPRK will continue to intensify the development of its nuclear arms, holding it tight as the treasured sword of defending independence and justice, in order to counter the anti-DPRK moves of the U.S. unprecedented in history, and this would be an exercise of the DPRK’s legitimate right to self-defense that no one can ever question.
The U.S. should be well aware that it will never be safe as long as it remains hostile towards and poses threat against the DPRK.
The DPRK will eradicate the root cause of the danger of nuclear war imposed by the U.S. relying on the strong nuclear deterrence and more vigorously wage a struggle to defend peace of the region and the world.
5 May 2017
Pyongyang
