SEOUL, March 4 (Yonhap) — North Korea on Saturday renewed its pledge to bolster its nuclear arsenal, saying its own nuclear deterrent would ensure the balance of power in the region.
The North Korean Foreign Ministry has also criticized the United States for leading the collapse of international arms control systems.
“Nuclear deterrence ensures the balance of forces in the region and strong physical security to prevent the outbreak of a new war,” the ministry said in a commentary.
North Korea has claimed that the unilateral accumulation of weapons by the United States and its allies increases the risk of armed conflict on the Korean peninsula.
South Korea and the United States have announced that they will carry out joint military exercises this month to strengthen the defensive position of the allies.
The joint exercise, called Freedom Shield, is scheduled to run from March 13-23 non-stop, marking the longest run of this computer simulation command post exercise.
It will take place at the same time as the new large-scale field training exercise, called Warrior Shield, in line with allies’ desire to strengthen training programs and improve their “realism”
Source: yna
