THE EMBASSY OF THE DEMOCRATIC
PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF KOREA TO SWITZERLAND
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E-mail: dprk.embassy@bluewin.ch
No 94/23 December 2, 2023
1. 17th Politburo Meeting of 8th C.C., WPK Held
2. Press Statement by Spokesman for DPRK Ministry of National Defence
3. Spokesperson for Foreign Ministry of DPRK Releases Press Statement
4. Deployment of U.S. Nuclear Strategic Assets Is Root Cause of Ever-escalating Tensions on Korean Peninsula: Int'l Affairs Analyst of DPRK
5. A New Addition to the DPRK’s Defence Capabilities
17th Politburo Meeting of 8th C.C., WPK Held
Pyongyang, December 2 (KCNA) -- The 17th Meeting of the Political Bureau of the 8th Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) took place at the office building of the WPK Central Committee on December 1.
Kim Jong Un, general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea, attended the meeting.
Present there were members of the Presidium of the Political Bureau of the WPK Central Committee and members and alternate members of the Political Bureau of the WPK Central Committee.
The meeting discussed the issue of convening the 9th Plenary Meeting of the 8th WPK Central Committee.
Jo Yong Won, member of the Presidium of the Political Bureau and secretary for Organizational Affairs of the WPK Central Committee, presided over the meeting.
The Political Bureau of the WPK Central Committee appreciated that brilliant and encouraging successes have been achieved in attaining the major goals of the Party and state policies, set forth at the Eighth Congress of the WPK and plenary meetings of the WPK Central Committee, this year, thanks to the wise leadership of the respected General Secretary and great enthusiasm of all Party members and other people, and discussed the major agenda items to be discussed at the 9th Plenary Meeting of the 8th WPK Central Committee.
The Political Bureau of the WPK Central Committee adopted with unanimous approval a resolution on convening the 9th Plenary Meeting of the 8th WPK Central Committee late in December.
The respected General Secretary said that the overall state work is being dynamically promoted with firm purposefulness for development and vigor, as evidenced by markedly stable and constant trend of growth of the national economy, great progress made in agriculture and construction and the epoch-making changes of great significance in bolstering up the national defence capability in particular.
Referring to the measures to be taken to correctly establish a plan for the next year after scientifically examining and diagnosing the experience and lessons accumulated this year, he called upon all the sectors and units to add to their strong spirit of advance and successfully conclude the significant year 2023.
At the meeting assignment was given for the plenary meeting preparations.
Press Statement by Spokesman for DPRK Ministry of National Defence
Pyongyang, December 2 (KCNA) -- A spokesman for the Ministry of National Defence of the DPRK released the following press statement "Any attack on space asset of the DPRK will be deemed declaration of war against it" on Saturday:
The brigandish nature of the U.S., which regards it as its main lever for realizing its hegemonic wild ambition to commit outrageous and unlawful military intervention against sovereign countries, has been brought to light more clearly, occasioned by the DPRK's reconnaissance satellite launch.
An official concerned of the U.S. Space Command recently spouted rubbish hinting at a military attack on the DPRK's reconnaissance satellite, saying that the U.S. can decrease the enemy country's outer space operation capabilities by employing diverse "reversible and irreversible methods".
American military affairs experts comment that the U.S. Space Force can physically destroy not only opponent's satellite and satellite earth station but also get rid of enemy state's space force through jamming and virus-using cyber attack.
The U.S. Space Force's deplorable hostility toward the DPRK's reconnaissance satellite can never be overlooked as it is just a challenge to the sovereignty of the DPRK, and more exactly, a declaration war against it.
Article 8 of the "Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies", the main international outer space treaty, stipulates that any object launched into outer space definitely falls under the jurisdiction of the launcher state and the ownership of it never changes no matter it remains in outer space or returned to the earth.
This means that the reconnaissance satellite "Malligyong-1" is a part of the territory of the DPRK where its sovereignty is exercised.
Furthermore, reconnaissance satellite is not regarded as a space weapon by international law for its technical features aimed at observation.
If the reconnaissance satellite of the DPRK is regarded by the U.S. as a "military threat" that must be gotten rid of, countless spy satellites of the U.S. flying above the Korean peninsula region every day, exclusively tasked with monitoring the major strategic spots of the DPRK, should be deemed the primary targets to be destroyed by the armed forces of the DPRK.
By openly unveiling its aggression scheme to mount a military attack on a space asset of other sovereign country, a part of its properties and territory, the U.S. has proved itself its true colors as the chief culprit of evils seeking to realize its wild ambition for dominating the world by turning outer space, common wealth of humankind, into a theater of war.
It is the mission of the armed forces of the DPRK, specified by its constitution and other laws, to exercise their war deterrent to protect the state sovereignty and territorial integrity in case a lethal military attack is carried out against the country's strategic assets or it is judged that such attack is imminent.
In case the U.S. tries to violate the legitimate territory of a sovereign state by weaponizing the latest technologies illegally and unjustly, the DPRK will consider taking responsive action measures for self-defence to undermine or destroy the viability of the U.S. spy satellites by exercising its legitimate rights vested by international and domestic laws.
Spokesperson for Foreign Ministry of DPRK Releases Press Statement
Pyongyang, December 2 (KCNA) -- A spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry of the DPRK on Saturday released the following press statement titled "It is the sovereign right of the DPRK to firmly defend the state's sovereignty, security and interests from hostile forces' encroachment":
As already clarified, the DPRK's satellite launch is an essential process in building up the country's defence capability and an important step conducive to improving the security environment on the Korean peninsula as an occasion of bringing a new phase in the military activities of the armed forces of the DPRK to firmly defend its security.
Nevertheless, the U.S. has perpetrated acts of encroaching upon sovereignty and hostile acts of taking sanctions against the DPRK by rallying its followers such as Japan, the Republic of Korea and Australia, while unreasonably pulling up the DPRK over its exercise of just and legitimate sovereignty.
Explicitly speaking, the object of sanctions is not the DPRK which has exercised its deserved sovereign right but the U.S. and its servants keen to deprive sovereign states of their legitimate rights, wantonly violating regulations of the international law including the UN Charter.
The unilateral and illegal sanctions of the U.S. seriously violating the UN Charter with sovereign equality, non-interference in internal affairs and respect for the right to self-determination as its core and other principles of international law are the main factors undermining the international order based on equity and multilateralism.
The illegal sanctions racket of the U.S. and its followers is nothing but a "sedative" to calm down the growing uneasiness and impatience over the ever-declining U.S.-led hegemonic order, and can not have any effective effect on the DPRK's exercise of sovereign right at present and in the future.
In the present world where the U.S. is precisely being regarded as injustice and evil, the accusations and sanctions of the U.S. only show a proof of the justness of the line chosen by the DPRK and an expression of the strong force of our state.
The U.S. should respect the sovereign decision of the DPRK to freely exercise the right to space development any UN member nations can enjoy, neither interfere in nor obstruct it, and only doing so is a correct choice capable of removing even a part of the present external crisis facing the U.S.
In order to defend the sovereignty and interests of the state from the hostile forces' illegal encroachment on the sovereignty of our state, ensure peace and security and protect the right and interests of its citizens, the Foreign Ministry of the DPRK declares that it will apply countermeasures to individuals, institutions and organizations of the U.S. and its vassal forces involved in the drawing and execution of the sanction policy toward the DPRK, according to the Law of the DPRK on Countermeasures in coordination with its relevant institutions.
No matter what others may say, the DPRK will proudly and perfectly exercise its sovereign right including satellite launch and make every possible effort to defend the sovereignty, security and interests of the state and ensure peace and security of the Korean Peninsula and the region from all threats and obstructions from outside.
Deployment of U.S. Nuclear Strategic Assets Is Root Cause of Ever-escalating Tensions on Korean Peninsula: Int'l Affairs Analyst of DPRK
Pyongyang, December 2 (KCNA) -- Kang Jin Song, an international affairs analyst of the DPRK, released the following article "Deployment of U.S. strategic nuclear assets is malignant cause of vicious cycle of escalating tensions on Korean peninsula" on Saturday:
The nuclear war exercises racket of the U.S. and its followers gravely threatening the security of the sacred DPRK and all the Korean people pushes the situation on the Korean peninsula and its vicinity to the brink of explosion.
The U.S. brought its nuclear carrier Carl Vinson and nuclear-powered submarine Santa Fe to its Pusan operation base and Jeju naval base in the region of south Korean one after another on November 21 and 22. It launched tripartite maritime exercises with Japan and the south Korean forces in open waters near Jeju Island on November 26.
During the exercises involving the nuclear carrier Carl Vinson, Aegis destroyers and combat forces of the U.S. navy, the Japanese Maritime "Self-Defense Force" and the south Korean navy, the enemies stirred up extreme fever for a nuclear war against the DPRK, staging anti-air drill and maritime mobile drill in the situation simulating "north Korea's missile and aircraft provocations".
The enemies seek to cover up their aggressive nature at any cost, insisting that the exercises, which pushed the acute military confrontation on the Korean peninsula region, the world's worst flashpoint, to the brink of a dangerous nuclear conflict, were aimed to cope with the "situation where north Korea's nuclear and missile threat is escalating".
But the ground, maritime, air and underwater traces, left by the U.S. strategic nuclear assets deployed for a black-hearted purpose, and the joint military exercises staged against the DPRK all the year round, led by the U.S. imperialist aggressor forces, indicate who is behind the ever-escalating tensions on the Korean peninsula.
This year alone, the U.S. deployed its strategic nuclear submarine near the Korean peninsula for the first time in 40-odd years and orchestrated the first ever landing of its nuclear strategic bomber on the region of south Korean, continuing to renew the records of deployment of its nuclear war assets including nuclear carrier on the Korean peninsula.
According to data available, the U.S. deployed the strategic nuclear submarine Kentucky equipped with 80 nuclear warheads and nuclear-powered submarines Springfield, Michigan, Annapolis and Santa Fe one after another in the Korean peninsula region this year. It also deployed there such nuclear strategic bombers as B-1Bs and B-52Hs 22 times.
The U.S. nuclear carrier strike groups led by Nimitz, Ronald Reagan, etc., which carry the forces huge enough to carry out a full-scale war, made their appearances in the waters off the Korean peninsula three times.
The number of large-scale joint military drills, including Freedom Shield joint military exercises, Ssangyong joint landing drill and "combined joint fire annihilation drill", staged by the U.S. in and around the Korean peninsula with Japan and the south Korean forces in a bilateral and multilateral way as of now since the outset of this year, runs to over 60.
At present, U.S. nuclear strategic assets are deployed once every ten days and one warring side's nuclear war drills precisely targeting the other side are staged once every five days in the area of the Korean peninsula. There is no such place on this planet.
The U.S. deployment of nuclear strategic assets and the anti-DPRK nuclear war drills led by the U.S. imperialist aggressor forces are escalating to the degree giving such mistaken impression that the base and homeport of U.S. nuclear strategic assets were shifted from Anderson Air Force Base on Guam and Yokosuka Port of Japan to the area of the Korean peninsula. This is damning evidence proving that the U.S. is the arch culprit of ever-escalating tensions on the peninsula.
Nevertheless, the U.S. has misled public opinion, always disguising itself as "victim" of escalating tension on the Korean peninsula. Not content with this, it deliberately linked the recent U.S.-Japan-south Korea joint naval exercises with the DPRK's reconnaissance satellite launch, while crying out for someone's "provocation" and "threat" like a guilty party filing the suit first. This is the height of impudence never to be understood by anyone.
If a belligerent side brings huge nuclear war assets near the boundary with the other side in the world's biggest hotspot, and if the former is the undoubted worst-ever war state, it is an inevitable option and a very natural exercise of the right to self-defence for the latter to opt for the possession of reconnaissance capability to monitor and grasp the nature of the actions of the hostile forces.
The DPRK accelerates its drive for possessing reconnaissance satellites, instead of communication satellite, meteorological satellite or prospector satellite, after setting it as the major target, while exercising its right to space exploration, universal right of a sovereign state recognized by international law. This is directly related to the moves of the U.S. destroying stability of the Korean Peninsula and its vicinity.
If satellite launch, an internal affair of a sovereign state, should be questioned, the U.S., the world's biggest satellite possessor, will have to stand in the dock of the UNSC for frantically monitoring other countries with its countless spy satellites and intelligence assets above the Korean peninsula and its vicinity.
That's why the fair international community, including those countries around the Korean peninsula, is becoming increasingly vocal unanimously urging the U.S. to withdraw its pressure policy such as joint military exercises and deployment of nuclear strategic assets as regards the present military and political situation in the region where vicious cycle is repeated.
The U.S. should reflect on its sinister behavior shown in front of other's gate before impudently interfering in the exercise of the legitimate right to self-defence of a sovereign state and think seriously about the consequences to be entailed by it.
The biggest hotspot in the world is not an abstract expression. The Korean peninsula and its vicinity are the biggest danger zone in the world where the military conditions for the first ever outbreak of a thermonuclear war are fully mature in actuality.
Under the present international military situation, in which armed conflicts and bloodshed break out frequently in the hotspots across the world in recent years, due to the ever-escalating U.S. hegemonic military policy, there is no guarantee that the Korean peninsula will not become the next war theatre.
Given that hostility among the forces around the Korean peninsula is worsening, the U.S. frantically deploys its nuclear strategic assets there, betraying morbid repugnancy toward the inviolable exercise of the right to self-defence of the DPRK. This is very dangerous as such moves may result in breaking the last psychological pillar of the responsible nuclear weapons state seeking to deter the outbreak of a war and restore stability in the region.
This is not imaginary concern but a stark reality which no one can deny.
In case an unexpected clash happens in the Northeast Asian region around the Korean peninsula, the U.S., which has continuously put pressure on the security space of the DPRK by escalating military threat and blackmail, will be held wholly accountable for the catastrophic situation.
A New Addition to the DPRK’s Defence Capabilities
Carried by a new-type launch vehicle Chollima 1, the DPRK’s reconnaissance satellite Malligyong 1 achieved orbit. This successful launch will render a substantial contribution to building up the country’s war deterrent.
