N. Korea says it will take 'toughest reaction' to any U.S. military attempt

SEOUL, Feb. 2 (Yonhap) -- North Korea said Thursday it will take the "toughest reaction" to any U.S. military attempt under the principle of "nuke for nuke and an all-out confrontation for an all-out confrontation."

The North's foreign ministry issued the warning in a statement carried by its official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

"The DPRK will take the toughest reaction to any military attempt of the U.S. on the principle of 'nuke for nuke and an all-out confrontation for an all-out confrontation,'" the English-language statement from an unnamed ministry spokesperson read. "If the U.S. continues to introduce strategic assets into the Korean peninsula and its surrounding area, the DPRK will make clearer its deterring activities without fail according to their nature."

DPRK stands for the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

"The DPRK is not interested in any contact or dialogue with the U.S. as long as it pursues its hostile policy and confrontational line," it added.

The statement comes hours after South Korea and the U.S. staged combined air drills over the Yellow Sea, involving a B-1B strategic bomber and F-22 and F-35B stealth fighters from the U.S. Air Force.

yunhwanchae@yna.co.kr
(END)