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The USS Ronald Reagan nuclear-powered aircraft carrier enters port in Busan on Sept. 23, 2022. (Yonhap)

North Korea denounced the Biden administration’s revised nuclear strategy, which vows to counter possible coordinated nuclear threats from North Korea, China and Russia. In response to the new US nuclear guidance, Pyongyang has vowed to continue building its nuclear arsenal. 

A spokesperson from the North Korean Foreign Ministry issued a statement on Sunday via the state-run Korean Central News Agency. 

“No matter how desperately the US may exaggerate the ‘nuclear threat’ from other countries, the DPRK will push forward the building of nuclear force sufficient and reliable enough to firmly defend the sovereignty and security interests of the country on its fixed timetable, and this is the most essential and legitimate exercise of the right to self-defence to ensure the regional peace and security and protect itself,” the statement read. DPRK stands for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the formal name of North Korea. 

Last week, the New York Times reported that US President Joe Biden in March approved revisions to his administration’s “Nuclear Employment Guidance” in response to the possibility of a coordinated nuclear threat from Russia, North Korea and China — the latter two of which have been rapidly expanding their nuclear arsenals. North Korea’s statement was a response to this report.   

The statement denounced the revised guidelines as “nothing but a childish red herring to justify its dangerous nuclear-use strategy aimed at military deterrence and maintenance of geopolitical hegemony against other countries and evade criticism of the international community.”

The statement accused the US of building “the structure of alliance with its satellite countries in the Asia-Pacific region including the ROK and Japan into a nuclear-based military bloc.” ROK stands for Republic of Korea, the formal name of South Korea. 

It also points to the operation of “a group aimed at using nukes against a sovereign state, contrary to the UN Charter and other universal international law principles.”

The statement justified North Korea’s nuclear weapons program as “the most essential and legitimate exercise of the right to self-defence.” 

By Park Min-hee, senior staff writer

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