SEOUL —
North Korea's foreign ministry said Sunday Pyongyang should maintain "the
toughest counteraction" to the US as long as it rejects the country's
sovereignty and security interests.
The North's foreign ministry made the remarks as it blamed
joint air drills between South Korea and the US, according to the Korean
Central News Agency (KCNA), days after US President Donald Trump expressed
intent to reach out to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, Yonhap news agency
reported.
"The reality stresses that the DPRK should counter the
US with the toughest counteraction from A to Z as long as it refuses the
sovereignty and security interests of the DPRK and this is the best option for
dealing with the US," the statement said.
DPRK stands for the country's official name, the Democratic
People's Republic of Korea.
The report came just days after Trump called Kim a
"smart guy" and expressed his intention to again reach out to the
North's leader.
The foreign ministry referred to a four-day combined aerial
exercise between Seoul and Washington conducted at an air base in South Korea's
Wonju last week, as well as another recent trilateral joint air drill also
involving Japan, calling them a "grave challenge" to peace and
stability on the Korean Peninsula.
The ministry warned that "such moves will entail a
reflective counteraction," adding that the country "will not permit
the imbalance of strength ... and take the toughest counteraction to defend the
sovereign right and security interests of the state and thoroughly ensure peace
and stability in the region."
