President Joe Biden Criticizes Missile Testing, North Korea Issues Threats

KN-23 missile firing on May 4, 2019. (Source: Rodong Sinmun via missilethreat.csis.org)

JAKARTA - North Korea on Saturday issued a statement saying that the United States Government under President Joe Biden had taken the wrong first step and expressed deep hostility through criticism of North Korea's missile test.

North Korea on Friday carried out a test-launch of a new type of short-range tactical ballistic missile. President Joe Biden said the test violated a UN Security Council resolution. However, Biden said he remained open to diplomacy with Pyongyang.

The Secretary of the Central Committee of the ruling Labor Party, Ri Pyong Chol, said the tests carried out were self-defense against threats posed by South Korea and the United States, related to joint military exercises and advanced weapons of the two countries.

"We express our deep concern for the chief executive of the United States who blames regular trials, the exercise of our country's right to self-defense, as a violation of UN resolutions and publicly expresses his deep hostility," Ri said in a statement. by the official KCNA news agency, reported Reuters.

"(President) Joe Biden's statement is a hidden violation of our country's right to self-defense and provocation. We are in no way developing a weapon to get anyone's attention or influence his policies. I think the new US administration is clearly taking the wrong first step," Ri continued. while saying Washington might face something unkind if it continued to make unthinkable statements.

Ri also accused the Biden government of taking every opportunity to provoke Pyongyang by labeling it a security threat. Ri said Washington insists on gangster-like logic to be able to bring strategic nuclear assets to South Korea and test intercontinental ballistic missiles as it pleases. However, it prohibits North Korea from testing even tactical weapons.

"We know very well what we have to do. We will continue to increase our military strength in the most comprehensive and extraordinary way," said Ri.

The White House, which said a review of North Korea's policy was in its final stages, declined to comment. The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Separately, professor from Kyungnam University in Seoul Kim Dong-yup said Ri's statement meant North Korea could potentially raise military tensions in the coming months by developing and testing advanced weapons.

Meanwhile, the Washington Center for Strategic and International Studies revealed in a report on Friday that commercial satellite imagery showed North Korea continued to produce uranium concentrate, which is used to make nuclear weapons, over the past eight months, although it has not tested any bombs since 2017.