North Korea Protests South Korea–U.S. Arms Trade and North Korea Human Rights Record Project

[Financial News] North Korea protested on the 27th, saying that the United States' policy toward North Korea remains hostile, citing South Korea–United States arms trade and U.S. government support for a project to document North Korea's human rights record. The statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea came after U.S. President Donald Trump ordered a reduction in South Korea–U.S. joint military exercises and said he would hold a North Korea–United States Singapore Summit with Kim Jong Un, President of the State Affairs Commission of North Korea, in November.
A spokesperson for North Korea's foreign ministry protested on the 27th after the State Department provisionally approved the sale of AIM-9 Sidewinder Block II air-to-air missiles and related equipment to South Korea, and announced plans to provide millions of dollars in funding for projects including the documentation of human rights abuses in North Korea.
The spokesperson said it was "another example showing that the United States' hostile practices, which seek to add new threats to the security zone of the DPRK and create instability in our country's social system, are continuing with persistence and consistency."
He argued that this year the United States approved sales of advanced missiles, new helicopters, and precision-guided bombs worth an astronomical sum, thereby encouraging South Korea's warfighting capabilities. "The negative impact on the regional security environment cannot be overlooked," he said.
He added, "The reality clearly shows how actively and enthusiastically the United States is expanding new threats against North Korea," and criticized Washington for having "clearly demonstrated its unrestrained stance of wanting to remain permanently hostile."
He also warned, "We are deeply aware of the reality that malicious attempts and threats from outside forces against the country's security and political stability are constantly present," and said North Korea would "respond strongly, severely and immediately to hostile acts."
However, the foreign ministry spokesperson expressed the position in a question-and-answer format with reporters rather than through an official statement by a senior official, which is seen as a sign that North Korea was adjusting the level of its hostility toward the United States.

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