US causing international arms control collapse, North Korea says
North Korea has blamed the United States for "the collapse of international arms control systems," following Washington's plans to conduct large-scale military exercises with Seoul.
In a statement on Saturday, the North Korean Foreign Ministry said Pyongyang's nuclear weapons are a just response to ensure peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.
"The Korean peninsula is turning into the world's biggest powder keg and war practice field due to a military expansion scheme led by the United States and its followers," the ministry said.
The statement further condemned South Korea and Japan's military build-ups, saying the two countries are crossing a dangerous line and this should not be tolerated.
The latest development came a day after Washington and Seoul announced that they plan to conduct large-scale military exercises from March 13-23 to strengthen security coordination against North Korea.
Military tensions on the Korean Peninsula have risen sharply this year. The US has resumed massive land, naval, and aerial war games with South Korean and Japanese forces in the region as they have vowed to consider all available options to counter what they deem a threat posed by the North.
North Korea considers the US military drills with South Korea and Japan provocative measures that are designed to practice an invasion.
Last month, Pyongyang reiterated its condemnation of joint military drills featuring South Korea, Japan, and the United States.
The drills, it said, had reached an "extreme red line" and threatened to turn the Korean Peninsula into a "huge war arsenal and a more critical war zone."
North Korea has also defended its missile tests as a legitimate defense against military threats posed by the US-led coalition.
North Korea is reeling under harsh sanctions by the US and UN Security Council over its nuclear and ballistic missile programs, which have not prevented it from developing its military capabilities as a deterrent against hostile West-led moves.
Pyongyang maintains that it will not tolerate persisting US-led war games in the region, underlining that it will continue responding to joint military maneuvers of its adversaries by holding its own drills as well as developing all sorts of weaponry, including long-range missiles.
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