Pyongyang described the sales plans as a “provocative act that deliberately aims to further destabilize security in the region.”
A North Korean foreign ministry official issued the statement after the United States announced earlier this week a decision to approve a proposed sale of 36 AH-64E Apache attack helicopters and other items worth a total of $3.5 billion to South Korea, the agency said.
“This is a reckless provocative act deliberately aimed at further destabilizing the region,” the statement said, noting that “the approval came at a time when tensions are rising on the Korean Peninsula due to ongoing joint military exercises between South Korea and the United States.”
“The US has now become more active in arms sales to Japan, South Korea and other allies in the Asia-Pacific region, and this poses a challenge to the security in the region that cannot be overlooked,” the statement said, according to the North’s official Korean Central News Agency.
North Korea warned that it would “steadily conduct necessary military activities to control the military imbalance and instability in the region, while the United States intends to provide war equipment and lethal elements to its allies.”
“As the United States is keen to provide war equipment and lethal elements to its allies in the region, North Korea’s strategic deterrence will be further strengthened to safeguard national security and interests and regional peace,” the statement said.
Seoul and Washington began their annual Ulchi Freedom Shield drills on Monday for 11 days in an attempt to “strengthen their joint defense readiness against evolving military threats from North Korea.”
Source: Yonhap
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2024-08-24 10:33:00
