Pyongyang, North Korea – North Korea on Friday described a US deal to supply Apache helicopters to South Korea as a “reckless, provocative act” and announced that it would build up its own armed forces in response.
A US deal to sell Apache attack helicopters and related equipment worth $3.5 billion to South Korea has been criticized by the regime in Pyongyang as “reckless.” © Jung Yeon-je / AFP
“We firmly oppose and reject the arms buildup of the United States and its vassals,” Pyongyang’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement, referring to the South.
“This is a reckless, provocative act that intentionally increases security instability in the region,” it added. It also criticized recent US sales to Japan and other Washington allies in the Asia-Pacific region.
In response, US arms sales in the Pacific would lead to a “further strengthening of the North’s strategic deterrence.”
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“The current situation urgently requires comprehensive safeguarding of the military balance in the region by expanding defense capabilities in all respects and in direct proportion to the security challenges and threats that may arise from US arms sales,” Pyongyang said.
On Monday, the United States announced that it had agreed to sell up to 36 AH-64E Apache attack helicopters and related equipment, including missiles, to South Korea for $3.5 billion.
The US Defense and Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said the sale would “enhance the Republic of Korea’s ability to meet current and future threats by providing a credible force capable of deterring adversaries and participating in regional operations.”
Although the State Department has approved the sale, Congress must still approve the transaction.
South Korean and US troops are conducting joint military exercises that North Korea considers provocative. © REUTERS
The Unification Ministry in Seoul said on Friday that North Korea was the one that “threatened peace and stability on the Korean peninsula.”
Pyongyang describes relations between North and South Korea as those between “two enemy nations” and is in the process of “developing and advancing illegal nuclear weapons and missiles,” the statement added.
The South Korean government is “closely monitoring and evaluating North Korea’s activities and working closely with relevant authorities,” Kim In-ae, deputy ministry spokesman, told reporters.
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News of the helicopter sale came on the same day that Washington and Seoul began major joint annual military exercises aimed at containing the North.
The Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise lasts until August 29 and involves thousands of military personnel.
