North Korea condemns US missile sale to South Korea

Key facts

• North Korea condemned a joint statement by South Korea and the EU that criticized its nuclear program and military cooperation with Russia.
• The North Korean Foreign Ministry stated that the joint statement was a violation of its sovereignty and a grave hostile act.
• The joint statement condemned North Korea-Russia military cooperation as illegal and reaffirmed commitment to Korean Peninsula denuclearization.
• North Korea declared South Korea an "unchanging enemy state" and a "dagger" of the United States.
• The statement also demanded improvements in North Korea's human rights situation and access for international organizations.

North Korea has strongly condemned a joint statement issued by South Korea and the European Union that criticized its nuclear program and military cooperation with Russia. The North Korean Foreign Ministry, through a spokesperson for its 10th Bureau—responsible for inter-Korean affairs—released a statement on June 13 titled “South Korea is an Unchanging Enemy State that Has Institutionalized Hostility and Confrontation.”

The statement asserted that South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, during his European tour, had "thrown away the mask of peace" by issuing the joint declaration with European leaders. North Korea characterized the statement's condemnation of its nuclear status and its military ties with Russia as a "clear violation of our sovereignty and a serious act of hostility."

The joint statement from the EU summit condemned North Korea's support for Russia's war in Ukraine, labeling the military cooperation as illegal and urging both nations to comply with UN Security Council resolutions. It also reaffirmed a commitment to the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and stated that North Korea would never be recognized as a nuclear-weapon state under the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Furthermore, the leaders expressed concern over North Korea's human rights situation and demanded access for international organizations.

North Korea argued that the joint statement demonstrated the impossibility of peaceful coexistence between the two Koreas, asserting they would remain "perpetually hostile states." The ministry described South Korea as the "number one hostile state" and a "dagger" used by the United States for invasion.