DPRK Foreign Ministry and DPRK government office buildings in central Pyongyang (Photo: NK Leadership Watch).
The DPRK Foreign Ministry issued a statement on July 7 (Thursday) responding to Kim Jong Un’s (Kim Cho’ng-u’n) sanctions designation by the US Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control [OFAC] “for having engaged in, facilitated, or been responsible for an abuse or violation of human rights.” The Foreign Ministry said:
The US dared pull up the supreme leadership of the DPRK on July 6 when announcing its State Department’s report on the latter’s “human rights issue”, a report peppered with lies and fabrications, and the list of targets of special sanctions by its Treasury Department, pursuant to the report.
What the US did this time, not content with malignantly slandering the DPRK, is the worst crime that can never be pardoned.
The supreme leadership of the DPRK its servicepersons and people have safeguarded at the cost of their lives while following with all sincerity represents the dignity and sovereignty of the DPRK and the destiny of all its service personnel and people.
But, the US dared challenge the dignity of the DPRK supreme leadership, an act reminiscent of a new-born puppy knowing no fear of a tiger. This is the worst hostility and an open declaration of war against the DPRK as it has gone far beyond the confrontation over the “human rights issue.”
Now that the US has passed over the “red line” in the overall showdown with the DPRK by perpetrating such thrice-cursed crime, the DPRK came to have the legitimate rights to take all necessary countermeasures.
To cope with the prevailing critical situation, the Foreign Ministry of the DPRK states as follows:
Firstly, the U.S. should immediately and unconditionally retract the recent step for sanctions which dared hurt the dignity of the DPRK supreme leadership.
Secondly, every lever and channel for diplomatic contact between the DPRK and the US will be cut off at once in case the US refuses to accept our demand.
From now that the US declared a war on the DPRK, any problem arising in the relations with the US will be handled under the latter’s wartime law.
Thirdly, the DPRK will take the toughest countermeasures to resolutely shatter the hostility of the US as regards the fact that the latter’s hostile policy has reached the worst phase of hurting the dignity of the former’s supreme leadership.
The US ruling quarters will have to bitterly experience how foolish and reckless such deed was.
Filed under: 2016 Strategic Rhetoric, 2016 tactical rhetoric, DPRK Cabinet, DPRK Diplomat Corps, DPRK External Relations, dprk-unc, DPRK-United Nations Relations, DPRK-US Relations, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Six Party Talks
