North Korea on Thursday condemned Washington’s approval of a potential missile sale to South Korea, warning that it would respond “strongly and immediately” to what it described as hostile US actions.
The statement followed US State Department approval of a possible $125 million sale of AIM-9X Sidewinder air-to-air missiles and related equipment to South Korea.
A North Korean Foreign Ministry spokesperson, quoted by state media KCNA, said the decision demonstrated what Pyongyang regarded as Washington’s continuing hostility towards the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK).
“We once again and clearly recognised the expression of the US open attitude to be always hostile to the DPRK,” the spokesperson said, describing the proposed weapons sale as a “new threat” to North Korea’s security environment.
The criticism comes as US President Donald Trump has renewed efforts to engage North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, expressing interest in another meeting and saying earlier this month that Kim had responded to his outreach. Pyongyang, however, has shown little public indication that it is prepared to resume formal negotiations.
North Korea also criticised US funding for programmes aimed at documenting the country’s human rights situation and gathering information about developments inside the country, accusing Washington of seeking to destabilise its political and social system.
The Foreign Ministry spokesperson said the United States had approved the sale of several weapons systems to South Korea this year, including advanced air-to-air missiles, naval and attack helicopters and precision-guided bombs.
Pyongyang accused Washington of encouraging Seoul to strengthen its military capabilities and warned that North Korea would respond to what it considers hostile actions by the United States.