North Korea rebukes U.S. for allowing Seoul to build up missile capability
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North Korea on Monday criticized the United States for ending restrictions on South Korea’s missile development, calling it a “deliberate and hostile act” that could lead to an “acute and instable situation” on the Korean Peninsula.
The statement was Pyongyang’s first public reaction to the May 21 summit in Washington between President Biden and his South Korean counterpart, President Moon Jae-in.
The two leaders agreed to abolish guidelines dating to 1979 that had capped Seoul’s development of missiles to a range of 800 kilometers (500 miles). The termination of the missile pact, which was put in place to avoid a regional arms race, expands Seoul’s ability to target the North.
It also potentially puts major Chinese cities within reach of South Korean missiles.
“The termination step is a stark reminder of the U.S. hostile policy toward the DPRK and its shameful double-dealing,” said the statement carried on North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency, which used the country’s official name of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
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