N. Korea slams US arms sale to S. Korea as proof of 'persistent' hostility
A F-15K fighter jet fires an AIM-9X air-to-air missile during a training session over a West Sea firing range in this photo provided by the South Korean Air Force, May 20. Courtesy of Republic of Korea Air Force
North Korea denounced Thursday a potential U.S. arms sale to South Korea and a plan to fund millions of dollars for documenting North Korean human rights violations as proof of continued hostility toward Pyongyang.
A spokesperson for the North's foreign ministry issued the criticism, referring to a recent announcement last week by the U.S. State Department on its approval for a potential sale of AIM-9X air-to-air missiles and related equipment to Seoul.
South Korea had requested the purchase of 103 AIM-9X Sidewinder Block II tactical missile and 10 guidance units, among other defense items.
The department has also put out a notice of funding opportunity to document human rights abuses and to counter North Korean propaganda, a project for which it has allotted up to $2.96 million.
"The above-said acts are another case proving the persistence and sequence of the U.S. hostile moves to add a new threat to the security sphere of the DPRK and create instability in the social system of our state," the spokesperson said in a statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency.
"The reality clearly proves how actively and zealously the U.S. is trying to expand the new threat to the DPRK," the official said, referring to the North by its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
"We once again and clearly recognized the expression of the U.S. open attitude to be always hostile to the DPRK," the spokesperson said, stressing that the North will respond with "immediate and powerful" measures to counteract the moves.
The latest statement came amid a repeated olive branch from U.S. President Donald Trump who has signaled willingness to resume dialogue with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
Seoul and Washington scaled back their annual military exercise last week after Trump ordered a reduction of the drills, which the North has long denounced as war rehearsals.
Pyongyang, however, remains unresponsive to Trump's diplomatic overtures, reiterating the call for Washington to drop its hostile policy toward the regime.