Anchor: North Korea has warned of strong military action after a new U.S. strategy on countering weapons of mass destruction(WMD) described Pyongyang as a “persistent threat.” The defense ministry in Seoul, meanwhile, warned that the North will face the "end of its regime" upon any attempt to use nuclear weapons in the wake of Pyongyang’s recent move to enshrine its nuclear policy in its constitution. 
Our Bae Joo-yon has more.

Report: A spokesperson for North Korea’s defense ministry on Wednesday denounced the description of the reclusive state as a “persistent threat” in the U.S. Defense Department’s "2023 Strategy for Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction.”

In a statement carried by the North’s official Korean Central News Agency, the spokesperson said such a description is another grave military and political provocation against the regime.

The statement said that the term “persistent threat” is most suitable for the United States, the world’s largest possessor of WMD and warned that the North will counter the U.S. military strategy with the most overwhelming and sustained response strategy.

The latest statement is the fifth released by the North in the past four days as Pyongyang is apparently aiming to justify its efforts to bolster its nuclear capacity. 

In Seoul, the defense ministry warned on Wednesday that Pyongyang will face the "end of its regime" upon any attempt to use nuclear weapons in the wake of Pyongyang’s recent move to enshrine its nuclear policy in its constitution.

The ministry said that South Korea and the U.S. are maintaining a combined readiness posture that can overwhelmingly respond to any attack from the North.

Last week, the North’s Supreme People’s Assembly adopted the revision stipulating more advanced development of nuclear arms, coming a year after the enactment of a new nuclear law allowing the preemptive use of such weapons.
Bae Joo-yon, KBS World Radio News.

[Photo : YONHAP News]