North Korea on Thursday strongly condemned a joint statement by Quad countries calling for Pyongyang’s “complete denuclearization”, and declared it will “never give up” its nuclear weapons programme.The sharp reaction comes days after the foreign ministers of the Quad grouping India, the US, Japan and Australia reiterated 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, North Korea’s Foreign Ministry accused the Quad of interfering in its sovereign affairs and acting as “nothing but a political and diplomatic tool for the realization of US unipolar dominance”.“To put it clearly once again, ‘denuclearization’ of the DPRK will never be forever,” a ministry spokesman said, using the abbreviation of North Korea’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.Pyongyang also rejected the “hostile stance” of the “US-led” Quad and urged the group to stop “confrontational tendencies that undermine regional peace and stability.”
Quad condemned Pyongyang missile program
The reaction came after the joint statement of the Quad foreign ministers’ meeting issued after talks hosted by India in New Delhi on May 26.In the statement, the Quad countries said, “We reaffirm our commitment to the complete denuclearization of North Korea in accordance with the relevant UNSCRs and urge North Korea to comply with all of its obligations under the relevant UNSCRs.”The group also condemned North Korea’s “unlawful development of ballistic missiles and weapons of mass destruction” and expressed “grave concern” over Pyongyang’s cyber activities allegedly funding its weapons programs.The Quad urged all UN member states to implement sanctions against North Korea, including a ban on arms transfers and purchases.The statement also expressed concern over the countries’ “deepening military cooperation with North Korea”, saying such steps undermine the global nonproliferation regime.South Korea’s Unification Ministry described the latest criticism of North Korea as relatively mild compared with 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 group.Unlike last year, when North Korea primarily targeted the United States, this year’s response also criticized Japan and Australia while defending China’s position, the official said.