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North Korea: U.S. cruise missile test dangerous

The Defense Department conducts a flight test of a conventionally configured ground-launched cruise missile at San Nicolas Island, California.
The Defense Department conducts a flight test of a conventionally configured ground-launched cruise missile at San Nicolas Island, California. Photo: Defense Department

North Korea on Thursday called the recent U.S. cruise missile test and military plans including the deployment of F-35 jets around the Korean peninsula "dangerous," warning the action "would trigger a new cold war."

Why it matters: Denuclearization talks between the U.S. and North Korea have continued to stall, despite President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un agreeing at a June 30 meeting to restart the negotiations. The situation on the Korean Peninsula remains tense. North Korea has conducted 6 weapons tests since June 25.

QuoteDangerous and unusual military moves are now on the horizon, which would trigger a new cold war on the Korean Peninsula and in the region."
— North Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson statement to KCNA

The big picture: The spokesperson said Pyongyang hoped to resolve all issues peacefully through dialogue and negotiation. "However, dialogue accompanied by military threats is of no interest to us."

Context: The statement attributed to a North Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, run in full on the state-run KCNA news agency, was addressing the Pentagon's successful test of a midrange cruise missile at San Nicolas Island, California, on Sunday.

  • The test was the first of its kind since the U.S. officially pulled out of the Cold War-era Intermediate Nuclear Forces treaty with Russia, under which it would have been prohibited.

Go deeper: Ignoring North Korean missile tests could hamper nuclear talks

North Korea