North Korea has ‘no fear’ of sanctions
SWITZERLAND: North Korea has nothing to fear from any United States move to broaden sanctions aimed at cutting it off from the global financial system, and will pursue ‘‘acceleration’’ of its nuclear and missile programmes, a North Korean envoy says.
This included developing a ‘‘pre-emptive first strike capability’’ and an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), Choe Myongnam, deputy ambassador at the North Korean mission to the United Nations in Geneva, said yesterday.
The Trump administration is reportedly considering sweeping sanctions as part of a broad review of measures to counter North Korea’s nuclear and missile threat.
‘‘I think this is stemming from the visit by the Secretary of State [Rex Tillerson] to Japan, South Korea and China . . . We of course are not afraid of any act like that,’’ Choe said. ’’Even prohibition of the international transactions system, the global financial system, this kind of thing is part of their system that will not frighten us or make any difference.’’
He called existing sanctions ‘‘heinous and inhumane’’. His country wants a forum set up to examine the ‘‘legality and legitimacy of the sanctions regime’’.
Choe denounced joint annual military exercises being carried out by the US and South Korea on the divided peninsula, and criticised remarks by Tillerson during his talks with regional allies last week. ’’All he was talking about is for the United States to take military actions on DPRK,’’ Choe said, using the acronym for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
‘‘In the light of such huge military forces involved in the joint military exercises, we have no other choice but to continue with our full acceleration of the nuclear programmes and missile programmes. It is because of these hostile activities on the part of the United States and South Korea. We strengthen our national defence capability as well as pre-emptive strike capabilities with nuclear forces as a centrepiece,’’ Choe said.
Asked to comment on Choe’s remarks, a US State Department spokeswoman, Anna Richey-Allen, called on North Korea ‘‘to refrain from provocative actions and inflammatory rhetoric . . . and to make the strategic choice to fulfil its international obligations and commitments and return to serious talks’’.
South Korea said the latest missile launch test by North Korea yesterday had ended in a failure. The North fired a missile from the eastern coastal town of Wonsan but the launch was believed to have ended in a failure, Seoul’s Defence Ministry said. It gave no further details, such as what type of missile was fired. Earlier this month, North Korea fired four ballistic missiles that flew about 1000 kilometres (620 miles) on average, with three of them landing in waters off Japan.
Meanwhile, North Korea has put out a video showing a simulated attack on a US aircraft carrier and strategic bomber, as the government of China called on both sides to calm down and work out a diplomatic solution to their differences.
The propaganda film, posted on a YouTube channel used by the Pyongyang government, shows the USS Carl Vinson, a nuclear aircraft carrier, apparently in flames in the crosshairs of a North Korean weapon, followed by a B-1B Lancer bomber which is also on fire. Both the ship and aircraft are taking part in the military exercises being carried out by the US and South Korea. The commentary with the video on the Uriminzokkiri channel warns that ‘‘a knife will be stabbed into the throat’’ of the Carl Vinson, and that the bomber will be engulfed by a ‘‘hail of fire’’. – Reuters, The Times