North Korea's Latest Justification for Keeping Its Nuclear Program

On Apr 22nd, Speaking at the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Commander of ROK-US Combined Forces Command (CFC) and US Forces Korea (USFK), General Sharp, stated that the US will continue to offer South Korea protection under its nuclear umbrella after the 2012 transfer of wartime operational control. General Sharp stressed to the group that “the Mutual Defense Treaty will remain effective" after the transfer, and that the US and ROK militaries, although separated after the Apr 12 transfer, will continue to operate according to one military operation plan, and not two.

On May 3rd, North Korea’s Korea Central News Agency (KCNA) released a report commenting on General Sharp’s Apr 22nd speech (KCNA headline: “US and Lee Group’s Reckless War Moves Under Fire”). The report referenced a Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland’s press statement released earlier in the day.

Accusing the U.S. and the Lee Myung-bak group of frantically kicking up rackets of confrontation with the DPRK and a war of aggression against it, getting vociferous in describing the DPRK's satellite launch for peaceful purposes as a sort of "provocation, threat and violation of a UN resolution" and the like, the statement went on: The present situation goes to clearly prove that the U.S. hostile policy towards the DPRK has not changed at all and that the Lee Myung-bak group is a group of wicked traitors and warmongers keen to impose a nuclear war disaster upon the Korean nation in collusion with outside forces. 

Now that the sinister intention of the U.S. and the south Korean puppets playing the role of a shock brigade for it has been brought to bold relief, the DPRK will go straight in the direction of bolstering up its nuclear deterrent for self-defence as it had already clarified.

The U.S. and the Lee group had better stop at once their reckless moves for a war, properly understanding who their rival is.

The timing of this report seems to be in part a response to the UN Security Council’s position that it has no intension of retracting its adoption of the presidential statement or apologize for the adoption. Further, it also appearstobe a response to the US position that it will not provide any aid to North Korea unless the North stops its provocations and return to the Six-Party Talks, that the US will only conduct direct bilateral negotiations through the Six-Party forum, and that the US will review the status of North Korea to decide whether to relist it as a state sponsor of terrorism.