North Ministry of Foreign Affairs: "US Condemns Our Quarantine Measures as 'Human Rights Violations'... Infringement on National Sovereignty"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] North Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the U.S. government's support for leaflet drops over North Korea as a "serious political provocation" and "an infringement on national sovereignty," stating that it will take corresponding measures.

On the 2nd, through a spokesperson's statement, North Korea said, "This provocation by the United States is a concentrated expression of its anti-DPRK hostile policy aimed at tarnishing our nation's image," and "We sternly condemn it as an open violation of our national sovereignty and a stigma."

Earlier, on the 28th of last month (local time), the U.S. State Department issued a statement titled "On the Occasion of North Korea Freedom Week," criticizing human rights issues under the "Kim Jong-un regime" and expressing support for defectors' efforts to highlight North Korean human rights concerns.

In response, North Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs pointed out, "The U.S. committed a serious political provocation by slandering our national quarantine measures to protect the people's lives and safety from COVID-19 as 'human rights violations' and even attacking our supreme dignity," emphasizing, "The so-called 'human rights issues' that the U.S. loudly proclaims are political fabrications devised to obliterate our ideology and system."

It continued, "We have clearly stated that we will respond strongly to acts that attack our supreme dignity," adding, "Nevertheless, the U.S.'s insult to our supreme dignity this time is a clear signal that it is preparing for an all-out confrontation with us, and it provides a clear answer to the question of 'how we should deal with the new U.S. administration going forward.'"

The spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, "The United States has openly expressed its intention to deny our ideology and system, to misuse 'human rights' as a tool for internal interference and a political weapon to overthrow our system, and to crush us through 'firm suppression,'" emphasizing, "We have no choice but to take corresponding measures."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.