(Members of a civil organization 'Solidarity for peace and reunification of Korea' chant, 'Stop war exercises, Resume DPRK-US dialogue!' on August 5 at Kwanghwaun Plaza across US embassy in Seoul. SPARK photo)

PRESS STATEMENTBy DPRK FM SpokespersonDespite our repeated warnings, the United States and south Korean authorities have finally started the joint military exercise targeting the DPRK.This is an undisguised denial and a flagrant violation of June 12 DPRK-U.S. Joint Statement, Panmunjom Declaration and September Pyongyang Joint Declaration, all of which are agreements to establish new DPRK-U.S. relations and build a lasting and stable peace regime on the Korean peninsula.Although the U.S. and south Korean authorities are playing all sorts of tricks to justify the joint military exercise, its aggressive nature can neither be covered up nor whitewashed in any manner.The first joint military exercise "Focus Lens" was conducted in south Korea in 1954, the year after the conclusion of the Armistice Agreement. All the U.S.-south Korea joint military exercises which have been annually conducted during the past 65 years since then were unexceptionally aggressive war exercises simulating the surprise and preemptive attack on the DPRK.What is more serious is that the U.S. increases hostile military tension against us by deploying a large amount of latest offensive military equipment in south Korea, in disregard of its commitment to suspend joint military exercises made at summit level on such occasions as the Singapore DPRK-U.S. summit and the Panmunjom DPRK-U.S. summit.Even after the Singapore DPRK-U.S. summit, the U.S. and south Korean authorities continuously staged all kinds of aggressive war exercises targeting us, such as Marine Corps Joint Exercise, "Alliance 19-1", Joint Aerial Drill, "Proliferation Security Initiative", and the U.S. did not hesitate to conduct the missile interception test simulating an interception of our ICBMs and the test-fire of ICBM "Minuteman-3" and SLBM "Trident 2 D-5."The U.S. also made clear, in "its nuclear deterrence policy report," its policy position to oppose the ban on nuclear first use against our country and it dared to expose the repugnance towards us by branding our country as a "rogue state" and a "proliferator" of nuclear technology, chemical weapons and ballistic missiles.Recently, "F-35A" stealth fighters were brought into south Korea and the U.S. nuclear strategic submarine "Oklahoma City" came into port of Pusan. In the meantime, the U.S. is pushing forward the move to introduce even high-altitude reconnaissance drone "Global Hawk" into south Korea. All these put us on our guard.All the above facts prove that the U.S. and south Korean authorities do not have political will at all to implement the joint statements whereby they committed to improve the DPRK-U.S. relations and the inter-Korean relations, and that they remain unchanged in their position to continue to face us as an enemy.Since the hostile military moves of the U.S. and south Korean authorities have reached the danger line, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea makes clear the following principled position, strongly condemning and denouncing the above moves.First, the U.S. and south Korean authorities will, under no circumstances, evade from their responsibilities for compelling the DPRK to take countermeasures for eliminating the potential and direct threats to its state security.The U.S. and south Korean authorities know too well that the joint military exercise will cause a backlash from us. Then what is its ulterior motive to conduct it at any cost which only provokes and threatens us?We have already warned several times that the joint military exercises would block progress in the DPRK-U.S. relations and the inter-Korean relations and bring us into reconsideration of our earlier major steps.There is no such a law that one side might be allowed to walk away from its commitment and our side only should be bound by the commitment.As the U.S. and south Korean authorities take every possible occasion to claim that the joint military exercises are "defensive" in nature, an "essential element" for combat preparedness, etc, so we are compelled to develop, test and deploy the powerful physical means essential for national defence. The U.S. and south Korean authorities cannot counter this even though they have ten mouths.If south Korea finds itself so distressed by "security threat," it would be much more expedient for it not to commit such an act that will only make a rod for itself.Second, we remain unchanged in our stand to resolve the issues through dialogue. But the dynamics of dialogue will be more invisible as long as the hostile military moves continue.The prevailing situation is dramatically dampening down our desire for implementing the DPRK-U.S. agreements and the inter-Korean agreements, which also affects the prospect of future dialogue.It is too axiomatic that a constructive dialogue cannot be expected at a time when a simulated war practice targeted at the dialogue partner is being conducted, and there is no need to have a fruitless and exhausting dialogue with those who do not have a sense of communication.The U.S. and south Korean authorities remain outwardly talkative about dialogue. But when they sit back, they sharpen a sword to do us harm. If this is what they call "creative approach" and "imaginative power beyond common sense", we will be compelled to seek a new road as we have already indicated.If the U.S and south Korean authorities trust to luck, disregarding our repeated warnings, we will make them pay heavy price which will in turn make them very much difficult.(KCNA - August 6, 2019)