North Korea denounces US missile sale to South Korea

North Korea’s foreign ministry on Thursday denounced a US decision to approve the sale of missiles and related equipment to South Korea, vowing to respond “strongly and immediately” to hostile acts in various areas, state media Korean Central News Agency reported.

The remarks come as US President Donald Trump renewed overtures to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, expressing interest in another meeting and saying this month that Kim had responded to his outreach. Analysts say Pyongyang had shown little official willingness to resume talks.

“We once again and clearly recognised the expression of the US open attitude to be always hostile to the DPRK,” the ministry said in remarks carried by KCNA. DPRK stands for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the North’s official name.

The ministry was responding to the US State Department’s approval of a potential sale to South Korea of US$125 million worth of AIM-9X Sidewinder air-to-air tactical missiles and related equipment, which Pyongyang said posed “a new threat” to its security environment.

North Korea also criticised a US plan to fund activities related to documenting its human rights situation and gathering information on the country, describing the efforts as part of a campaign aimed at creating instability in its social system.