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KCNA Assails Projected Joint Naval Exercise

Korean Central News Agency of DPRK

    Pyongyang, October 25 (KCNA) -- The United States plans to stage a joint naval exercise in waters off Japan from Oct. 26, pursuant to the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) by letting the Japanese reactionaries come to the fore. Through this the U.S. seeks to plug countries around Japan into the exercise in a bid to step up its operation to isolate and stifle the DPRK and consolidate "international cooperation" against it.
    Given the objective of the PSI to isolate and blockade the DPRK, it is quite clear that the exercise is designed to lay a siege to the DPRK and stifle it come what may.
    After working out the PSI whose major aim is to intercept ships and airplanes, the U.S. has staged 10 joint naval exercises under simulated conditions of an actual operation by mobilizing troops of its allies. It has put the exercises on a regular basis under the pretext of "combating the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD)."
    The U.S. has pursued the strategy to isolate and stifle the DPRK, asserting that the international community is entitled to intercept ships and planes suspected of spreading weapons in the open seas and along international air routes after advancing a weapons proliferation prevention security initiative and a principle to intercept WMD last year.
    This is a serious infringement upon the sovereignty of the DPRK and an intolerable military provocation to it.
    The U.S. is pushing the strategy of international blockade to the phase of its implementation. A very dangerous situation is prevailing on the Korean Peninsula at present due to its reckless military moves to stifle the DPRK.
    The projected exercise assumes a very serious nature as it is slated to take place against the backdrop of growing tensions on the peninsula.
    U.S. massive redeployment of forces and madcap arms buildup are going on the Korean Peninsula and other parts of the Asia-Pacific region as evidenced by the deployment of Aegis destroyers of the U.S. 7th fleet equipped with up-to-date missile system in the East Sea of Korea which have already begun performing their operational duties for an actual war. The projected exercise can not be viewed as something not related to these moves.
    The DPRK has warned more than once that naval blockade exercises targeted against it would not be favorable for the atmosphere of dialogue. The U.S. ceaseless military maneuvers of this form go to clearly prove that it does not stand for a peaceful settlement of the nuclear issue between the DPRK and the U.S.
    The projected exercise only betrays the U.S. stand of denying dialogue and harassing peace.
    It is so shameless as to completely deny its dialogue partner and put pressure upon it while openly pressing for the PSI exercises to blockade and stifle the DPRK behind the scene of dialogue and threatening to bring up the nuclear issue for discussion at the UN Security Council. These moves only make the prospect of the negotiations with it dimmer as the days go by.
    Dialogue can never go together with war exercises.
    The U.S. seeks to escalate tension on the Korean Peninsula instead of working for peace in Northeast Asia including the peninsula. The planned exercise indicates that the U.S. strategy to militarily blockade and stifle the DPRK is inching close to the phase of its full implementation.
    The DPRK can not but call into question Japan, the host of the joint naval exercises, and other participants.
    It is, in fact, illegal and serious infringement upon the sovereignty of other countries defying international law and norms of mutual relations between countries to participate in such exercises aimed to intercept vessels of sovereign countries.
    For the Japanese authorities to host the exercises targeted against the DPRK, pursuant to the U.S. policy to isolate and blockade the DPRK, diametrically runs counter to the spirit of the DPRK-Japan Pyongyang Declaration.
    It is foolish an act for some countries to support and participate in the exercises which are little short of an open infringement upon the sovereignty of independent countries, pursuant to the U.S. unilateral and self-justified strategy for hegemony.
    The DPRK is compelled to serve a serious warning to the U.S., regarding the exercise as a move to implement the U.S. preemptive interception strategy aimed to isolate and stifle the DPRK internationally and an ultimate war action.
    Now that the U.S. has become more undisguised in its hostile policy toward the DPRK despite its repeated warnings, the latter is left with no option but to increase its physical deterrent force in every way.
    If the U.S. seeks to wrest a sort of concession from the DPRK through military threat and blackmail, this will only betray its total ignorance of its rival.
    The U.S. had better stop running wild, clearly understanding the will of the army and people of the DPRK to return fire for fire and react to the hard-line policy with the toughest stand.