File photo: Kim Jong Un
North Korea on Thursday strongly condemned the Quad nations’ joint statement calling for the “complete denuclearisation” of Pyongyang, declaring that it would “never” abandon its nuclear weapons programme.The sharp response came days after the foreign ministers of the Quad grouping, India, the US, Japan and Australia, reiterated their commitment to North Korea’s denuclearisation during their meeting in New Delhi on Tuesday.In a statement carried by South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency, North Korea’s foreign ministry accused the Quad of interfering in its sovereign affairs and acting as “nothing but a political and diplomatic tool serving the realisation of US unipolar dominance.”“Explicitly speaking once again, the ‘denuclearisation’ of the DPRK will never happen forever,” a spokesperson for the ministry said, using the acronym for North Korea’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.Pyongyang also rejected what it called the “US-led” Quad’s “hostile stance” and urged the grouping to stop “the pursuit of confrontation that undermines regional peace and stability.”
Quad condemned Pyongyang’s missile programme
The reaction followed the Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting Joint Statement issued after talks hosted by India in New Delhi on May 26.In the statement, the Quad nations said, “We reaffirm our commitment to the complete denuclearisation of North Korea in accordance with relevant UNSCRs and urge North Korea to abide by all its obligations under the relevant UNSCRs.”The grouping also condemned North Korea’s “unlawful development of ballistic missiles and weapons of mass destruction” and expressed “grave concern” over Pyongyang’s cyber activities allegedly funding its weapons programmes.The Quad further urged all UN member states to implement sanctions against North Korea, including restrictions on arms transfers and procurement.The statement also voiced concern over countries “deepening military cooperation with North Korea,” saying such moves undermine the global non-proliferation regime.South Korea’s unification ministry assessed North Korea’s latest criticism as relatively milder compared to previous years.A ministry official said Pyongyang has long viewed the Quad as a possible model for an “Asian version” of Nato and has repeatedly criticised the grouping.The official noted that unlike last year, when North Korea mainly targeted the US, this year’s response also criticised Japan and Australia while appearing to defend China’s position.
