North Korea slams US for lifting of missile rules on S Korea

North Korea on Monday slammed the United States for lifting all restrictions on South Korean missiles as a “stark reminder” of Washington’s hostile approach to Pyongyang. The country also termed the recently unveiled US policy on the North “just trickery,” Yonhap News Agency reported. The first reaction of North Korea comes after South Korean President Moon Jae-in and US President Joe Biden agreed at their May 21 summit to use diplomacy to resolve the North’s nuclear standoff and to terminate all “missile guideline” restrictions on the flight range and warhead weight of South Korean missiles.

As per the news agency, North’s criticism appeared to be restrained as it was couched in a Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) article under the name of an international affairs critic, rather than official government statements. “The US, doggedly branding the measures taken by the DPRK for self-defence as violation of UN ‘resolutions,’ grants its allies unlimited right to missile development. It is engrossed in confrontation despite its lip-service to dialogue,” the article stated.

“The termination step is a stark reminder of the US hostile policy toward the DPRK and its shameful double-dealing,” it said. “Lots of countries now view the US key DPRK policy, namely ‘pragmatic approach’ and ‘maximum flexibility’ produced by the Biden administration with much effort as just trickery.” DPRK is the acronym of the North’s official name, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

In the summit, the two countries reaffirmed the belief that diplomacy and dialogue are essential for achieving the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. But North Korea has yet to respond to the call for dialogue, as per NHK World. (ANI)