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North Korea (North Korea) asked the United Nations to demand that the US-South Korea (South Korea) end military exercises. Photos/Illustrations
SEOUL – Ministry of Foreign Affairs North Korea (North Korea) on Sunday (5/3/2023) requested United Nations (UN) to demand an immediate halt to joint military exercises by United States of America (US) and South Korea (Carousel).
According to North Korea, by carrying out military exercises, the two countries are increasing tensions that threaten to spiral out of control.
“The exercises and rhetoric of allies are irresponsibly raising the level of confrontation,” said the deputy foreign minister for international organizations, Kim Son Gyong, in a statement carried by the state news agency KCNA, quoted by the Straits Times.
The US and South Korea will conduct large-scale military drills for more than 10 days in March, including amphibious landings, officials from both countries said on Friday.
The US and South Korea say the drills are self-defense and necessary to counter a growing threat from North Korea’s ballistic missile and nuclear weapons programs, which are banned by UN Security Council resolutions.
North Korea on Saturday blamed the US for what it said was the collapse of the international arms control system and said Pyongyang’s nuclear arsenal was a fair response to ensure a balance of power in the region.
The two allied nations also conducted joint air drills with American long-range bombers and South Korean warplanes on Friday, and have been conducting weeks of drills for special ration troops.
“The United Nations and the international community should urge the US and South Korea to immediately stop their provocative statements and joint military exercises,” Kim said.
“It is regrettable that the United Nations has consistently been silent on the drills, which have a decidedly aggressive nature,” he said.
Last month, Kim also issued a statement saying UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had been grossly unfair, unbalanced regarding North Korea’s missile tests.
(ian)
