Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

On July 16, National Defense Commission Chairman Kim Jong Il saw a performance of the Art Propaganda Team of the Air Force Headquarters, together with Korean People's Army Generals including Lee Myung Soo, Hyun Chul Hae, and Park Jae Kyung and party secretary Kim Kuk Tae.

On July 17, a mass rally was staged at the Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang to commemorate the 90th birthday of Kim Il Sung. Some 100,000 people including Hong Seong Nam, Gye Eung Tae and Yang Man Kil participated in the event. On July 19, other regions including South Pyongan Province, Yangkang Province, and Kaeseong City also staged rallies.

One week after Russian President Putin's visit to North Korea (July 19-20), the Korean Central Broadcasting Station stressed, "The Pyongyang summit meeting and the adoption of the Joint Declaration is a historic event that has laid a firm foundation for our bilateral friendship and collaborative relationship to improve on a full-fledged scale."

On July 20, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson remarked on successful missile interception tests by the U.S.: "The success indicates that the missile defense system is in the phase of full-fledged deployment. The U.S. is dragging us in to justify their unjust goals, and this leaves us no choice but to take self-defense measures. Even if this will result in the termination of all agreements between the U.S. and DPRK, we have nothing to lose."

On July 18, the Korean Central Broadcasting Station made a statement denouncing South Korea: "The South Korean National Defense Minister remarked that he would never tolerate any non-military ground, maritime, and air provocations from North Korea during his briefing to the National Assembly Defense Committee. This has officialized South Korea's position to maintain and reinforce hostile relations with North Korea and to regard us as their principal enemy."