The US must stop pressuring North Korea, the North Korean embassy's charge d’affaires Jin Jong Hyop said, emphasizing that whether there is a war on the Korean Peninsula depends on Washington.
"As you know, we have completed the preparation of the Guam strike. Everything will depend on whether the United States acts sensibly or not. If they do not do so, they will be shamed yet again on the Korean Peninsula in front of the whole world," Jin Jong Hyop said.
"They must stop blatant provocations and unilateral pressure," Jin Jong Hyop said. "This will determine whether there will be a war on the Korean peninsula or not."
The North Korean diplomat also said that Pyongyang had already proposed a moratorium on nuclear tests, but Washington chose to launch military drills with Seoul in response.
"A few years ago we have already come up with such a proposal to introduce a moratorium on nuclear tests if the United States were to cease military exercises. But then the United States responded to our proposal by launching even larger military drills," Jin said commenting on the initiative.
"We will not in any way put out missiles and nuclear weapons on the negotiations table until the United States gives up its provocative policies and nuclear threats against our country," he said.
The statement comes amid the joint US-South Korean Ulchi Freedom Guardian (UFG) drills that kicked off on Monday. The military exercises, in which about 17,500 US servicemen and about 50,000 South Korean troops are participating, have been criticized by Pyongyang. North Korean state news agency KCNA claimed that the United States was responsible for the potential consequences of the conflict as it had chosen a military rivalry with Pyongyang.
On Monday, the South Korean presidential spokesperson warned that even a minor conflict between Washington and Pyongyang may threaten the lives of South Koreans and foreigners, including the US forces stationed on the Korean peninsula.
In July, Russia and China proposed a "double freeze" scenario, where North Korea would cease its nuclear missile tests, while US-South Korean military drills would be simultaneously halted. The initiative was rejected by the United States. North Korea has not yet issued an official response on the matter.
Commenting on the sanctions, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un promised to take decisive steps against the United States, including "physical actions." In response, US President Donald Trump threatened to unleash "fire and fury" against North Korea if it endangered the United States.
