North Korea on Thursday strongly condemned the joint statement issued by the Quad countries calling for the “complete denuclearization” of Pyongyang, declaring that it “will never give up” its nuclear weapons program.The sharp response came days after the foreign ministers of the Quad – India, the United States, Japan and Australia – confirmed their commitment to the denuclearization of North Korea during their meeting in New Delhi on Tuesday.In a statement carried by South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency, the North Korean Foreign Ministry accused the quartet of interfering in its sovereign affairs and acting “as a political and diplomatic tool that serves the achievement of unipolar American hegemony.”“Frankly again, denuclearization in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea will not happen forever,” a ministry spokesman said, using the abbreviation for North Korea’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.Pyongyang also rejected what it described as the “hostile stance” taken by the “US-led” Quartet, and urged the group to stop “seeking confrontation that undermines regional peace and stability.”
The Quartet condemned Pyongyang Missile programme
The reaction came in the wake of the joint statement issued by the Quad foreign ministers’ meeting after the talks hosted by India in New Delhi on May 26.“We reaffirm our commitment to the complete denuclearization of North Korea in accordance with the relevant UN Security Council resolutions and urge North Korea to abide by all of its obligations under the relevant UN Security Council resolutions,” the Quad countries said in the statement.The group also condemned North Korea’s “illegal development of ballistic missiles and weapons of mass destruction” and expressed “deep concern” about Pyongyang’s cyber activities that allegedly fund its weapons programs.The Quartet also urged all UN member states to implement sanctions against North Korea, including restrictions on arms transfers and purchases.The statement also expressed concern about “deepening military cooperation between countries and North Korea,” saying such moves undermine the global non-proliferation regime.South Korea’s Unification Ministry assessed recent criticism of North Korea as relatively milder compared to previous years.A ministry official said Pyongyang has long viewed the Quad as a potential model for an “Asian version” of NATO and has repeatedly criticized the grouping.The official noted that unlike last year, when North Korea mainly targeted the United States, this year’s response also criticized Japan and Australia while appearing to defend China’s position.
