N. Korea slams G7 top diplomats' joint statement condemning Pyongyang's nuclear, missile programs

The Korea Times

The Korea Times

North Korea

Wed, December 6, 2023 | 11:06

N. Korea slams G7 top diplomats' joint statement condemning Pyongyang's nuclear, missile programs

Posted : 2023-11-14 09:31

Updated : 2023-11-14 15:55

Jo Chol-su, the then director general of the department in charge of U.S. affairs at North Korea's foreign ministry, is seen in this Nov. 12, 2019 photo. Yonhap

North Korea on Tuesday denounced a joint statement issued by the Group of Seven foreign ministers that condemned Pyongyang's nuclear and missile programs, demanding the immediate dismantling of what it called a confrontational group of destroyers of peace.

Wrapping up a two-day meeting in Tokyo on Wednesday, the foreign ministers of the G7 advanced countries issued the joint statement condemning North Korea's ballistic missile programs and its suspected arms transfers to Russia.

Jo Chol-su, director general of the department of international organization at North Korea's foreign ministry, said he "resolutely" rejects and "most strongly" condemns the joint statement containing "groundless and unreasonable accusations" against the North, according to the official Korean Central News Agency.

"The G7, which is no more than a group for only a few countries' interests, cannot represent the international community," Jo said, describing the G7 as a "confrontational group of destroyers and violators of peace and stability."

The official denounced the United States for pushing the Korean Peninsula to the brink of a nuclear war by routinely deploying its strategic assets to the peninsula. He also lashed out at Japan, which assumed the G7 presidency for this year, for releasing "nuclear-polluted water" into the Pacific Ocean, calling Tokyo a "troublemaker."

"The G7, the remnant of the Cold War, should be dismantled immediately," Jo said. "This will be the first step toward defusing the present international crisis and restoring global peace." (Yonhap)