Pyongyang, May 27 (RHC)-- The People's Democratic Republic of North Korea has responded to U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton's accusations that their recent missile tests violated the U.N. resolutions. North Korea's Foreign Minister strongly criticized Bolton as inordinately ignorant to argue that North Koreas recent missile tests violated United Nations resolutions.
The spokesman singled out Bolton, who last week said the recent tests no doubt violated U.N. resolutions. North Korea pointed out that Bolton is working to destroy peace and security in the region.
Bolton is taking issue with normal military exercises conducted by our armed forces as a violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions, the spokesman said. This is inordinately ignorant. The North Korean Foreign Ministry said that giving up missile tests would mean giving up the right to self-defense.
Earlier in May, North Korean military forces test-fired a number of rockets and missiles, including several guided missiles that experts said could be used to penetrate South Korean and American defenses. The missiles flew on a flattened, lower altitude trajectory, leading some officials in South Korea to question whether the weapons should be categorized as ballistic missiles and therefore a likely violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions against North Korea.
The White House initially downplayed the tests, with U.S. President Donald Trump saying they were short range and therefore not a breach of trust by leader Kim Jong Un. But others, including the Japanese government and Trumps own national security adviser have said the missiles were clear violations of the U.N. resolutions.
To demand the ban of any launch that uses the ballistic technology, rather than talk about the range, is akin to saying we should renounce our sovereignty, the North Korean foreign ministry spokesman said.
Bolton is known in the United States as a as a war fanatic who whispers war into the ear of the president, the spokesman added.
