Iran Press/Asia: North Korea has announced that giving up the test-firings, as Bolton asked for, would amount to relinquishing their right to self-defense, Iran Press reported quoting a statement carried on Monday by state news agency Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) quoted a foreign ministry representative.
Last week, John Bolton, the White House national security adviser said the recent tests had 'no doubt' violated United Nations resolutions.
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“Demanding us to ban all launches using ballistic technology regardless of range is same as asking us to relinquish our rights to self-defense,” the official said, adding that “Bolton should not be called a security adviser who works to achieve security, but an adviser for security destruction who destroys peace and security. It’s not that strange that crooked sound will always come out the mouth of a man who is structurally flawed, and it’s best that this defective human product goes away as soon as possible.”
Referring to tests of short-range ballistic missiles on May 4 and May 9 that ended a more than 500-day pause in the tests that began in late 2017, the statement referred to the launches as 'normal military training.'
North Korea tested short-range ballistic missiles on May 4 and May 9, ending a pause in launches that began in late 2017, a few months before a landmark summit between leader Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump in Singapore. The tests have been seen as a way for Pyongyang to pressure Washington to soften its stance on easing sanctions against it without actually causing the negotiations to collapse.
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North Korea's leader orders stronger strike power
Earlier on May 10, North Korean leader ordered the military to boost its strike capability a day after he directed a successful long-range strike drill amid stalled nuclear negotiations with the US. 203/212/211
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