SEOUL, Aug. 27 (UPI) — North Korea on Thursday condemned U.S. approval of a possible $125 million sale of Sidewinder missiles and related equipment to South Korea, warning of a “serious, immediate and powerful response.”
In a statement carried by the North’s official Korean Central News Agency, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson called the proposed sale and other recent U.S. actions “hostile moves adversely affecting the security environment of the DPRK and the regional situation.”
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is the official name of North Korea.
The spokesperson cited last week’s U.S. State Department approval of a possible sale of 103 AIM-9X Sidewinder Block II tactical missiles, 10 tactical guidance units and related equipment to South Korea.
The statement also pointed to U.S. approvals this year involving naval helicopters, attack helicopter upgrades and precision-guided munitions.
In May, the State Department approved a possible $3 billion sale of 24 MH-60R multi-mission helicopters and a $1.2 billion upgrade package for South Korea’s AH-64E Apache attack helicopters. It approved a possible $106 million sale of Joint Direct Attack Munition guidance kits and related equipment in June.
The sales are “encouraging the ROK to boost its capability to fight a war,” the spokesperson said, using the official acronym for South Korea.
“Now that the military integration of the U.S. and its allies is being accelerated in the Asia-Pacific region, we cannot overlook the adverse effect of the U.S. sale of its weapons to the ROK on the regional security environment,” the spokesperson said.
The statement also criticized a State Department funding initiative announced last week that would provide up to $2.96 million for projects documenting human rights abuses in North Korea and countering Pyongyang’s propaganda and influence operations.
The spokesperson called the initiative a “human rights smear campaign” aimed at creating instability in North Korea’s political system.
The DPRK “will make a serious, immediate and powerful response to the hostile acts in different spheres,” the spokesperson said.
The statement comes as U.S. President Donald Trump pushes to restart direct diplomacy with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Trump last week abruptly ordered the United States and South Korea to curtail their annual Ulchi Freedom Shield military exercise, citing its cost and saying the drills sent an “inappropriate and hostile” signal to Pyongyang.
North Korea has so far shown little inclination to engage, however. Kim Yo Jong, the sister of Kim Jong Un, said last week that Pyongyang had “no interest” in the reduction of the drills.
“If the U.S. calculates that it can propagate its recent measure as the one of so-called good faith, they will not get desired answer,” she said.
Kim Jong Un led a key ruling party meeting this week but made no mention of Trump’s overtures, according to a report Wednesday by KCNA.