North Korea: Denuclearization must begin with Washington’s allies, not Pyongyang

PYONGYANG, July 12 (YPA) – North Korea has hardened its rhetoric toward the United States and its allies following the recent NATO summit in Ankara, asserting that any talk of denuclearization must begin with Washington’s allies under the US nuclear umbrella, not with Pyongyang.

In a statement, the North Korean Foreign Ministry said that NATO is seeking to militarize the region and turn it into an arena of confrontation, considering the characterization of its sovereign practices as a threat to be a deception of international public opinion.

The summit, held in Turkey last week, saw the announcement of defense and industrial deals worth more than $50 billion, amid pressure from US President Donald Trump on European allies to increase their defense contributions.

In the same context, South Korean President Lee Jae-myung announced his country’s expansion of cooperation with NATO members in the areas of research and development and the production of advanced weapons systems, which Pyongyang considered further evidence of the militarization of the Korean Peninsula.

The North Korean statements come amid growing fears of a new arms race in Asia as defense cooperation between Seoul and NATO strengthens, while observers believe Pyongyang is using this rhetoric to reassert its conditions at the negotiating table and refuse to be accepted as the sole target of international pressure.