North Korea on Sunday warned the United States (US) that it will face “a very grave situation” after President Joe Biden vowed to work with other world leaders to address the issue of Pyongyang’s nuclear programme.
In his first address to Congress last week, Biden called North Korea and Iran’s nuclear programmes “serious threats” to American and global security and said that Washington “will be working closely with our allies to address the threats posed by both of these countries through diplomacy and stern deterrence.”
In response, Kwon Jong Gun, Director General of North Korea Foreign Ministry’s North America Department, said in a statement that Biden’s comments “clearly reflect his intent to keep enforcing the hostile policy toward the DPRK as it had been done by the US for over half a century.” He added: “It is certain that the US chief executive made a big blunder in the light of the present-day viewpoint… Now that the keynote of the US new DPRK policy has become clear, we will be compelled to press for corresponding measures, and with time the US will find itself in a very grave situation.”
Although the official did not specify what steps North Korea would take in response, he stressed that the US calling the country’s self-defence mechanisms a “threat” was “illogical” and “an encroachment upon the DPRK’s right to self-defence.” He further noted that the US has previously “threatened the DPRK through unprecedented vicious hostile policy and constant nuclear blackmail.”
This statement from the hermit kingdom comes only days after the White House announced that it was in the final stages of reviewing its North Korea policy. Though the White House said that it would continue to look for ways to engage with Pyongyang on “a principled basis,” given that North Korea deems its nuclear arsenal as fundamental to its survival, Washington has limited hopes of brokering a grand bargain to persuade the country to give up its programme.
The US, along with allies like South Korea and Japan, has long pressured North Korea over its nuclear ambitions. Last month, Secretary Lloyd Austin met with South Korean Defence Minister Suh Wook to discuss ways to ensure combat readiness and maintain a robust defence posture in the face of “unprecedented challenges” presented by Pyongyang. Both sides agreed that the North Korea issue was an urgent matter that needed to be addressed as quickly as possible, and the ministers acknowledged that “that devising and implementing a fully-coordinated strategy toward policy” on Pyongyang was vital, which required close coordination and cooperation at various levels, including during the process of US policy review on the DPRK.
US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan also hosted Japanese National Security Secretariat Secretary-General Shigeru Kitamura and Korean National Security Office Director Suh Hoon on April 2 to “consult on the United States’ review of its North Korea policy and to discuss issues of common concern including Indo Pacific security.” According to a White House press release, the officials shared their concerns regarding North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs and agreed on the need for the complete “implementation of relevant UN Security Council resolutions by the international community, including North Korea, preventing proliferation, and cooperating to strengthen deterrence and maintain peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.”
North Korea Warns US of “Very Grave Situation” Following Biden’s Speech
Following US President Joe Biden calling North Korea’s nuclear program a “serious threat,” Pyongyang said that Biden had made “a big blunder” and warned of retaliation.
May 3, 2021
SOURCE: MICHAEL RYENOLDS/EPA/BLOOMBERG via GETTY IMAGES/API/GAMMA-RAPHO