North Korea Accuses US Of 'Serious Provocation' After Trump's State Sponsor Of Terrorism Declaration
- 6 years ago
After President Trump announced that North Korea will be placed on the list of state sponsors of terrorism, the reclusive nation has said the move is a "serious provocation."
President Trump recently announced that the U.S. was adding North Korea back to the list of state sponsors of terrorism.
In response, North Korea on Wednesday denied that it has engaged in terrorism and called the move "a serious provocation and a violent infringement."
According to the Independent, a spokesperson for North Korea's foreign ministry told the state-run news agency KCNA that the designation was "just a tool for American style authoritarianism that can be attached or removed at any time in accordance with its interests."
"No sanction or pressure can stand up to the great and limitless strength of self-reliance and self-development of our people who are closely rallied around their leader," the spokesperson also said, CNN reports.
Trump made the announcement on Monday prior to a Cabinet meeting.
"We will be instituting a very critical step, and that will start right now. Today, the United States is designating North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism," Trump said. "It should have happened a long time ago. It should have happened years ago."
"In addition to threatening the world by nuclear devastation, North Korea has repeatedly supported acts of international terrorism, including assassinations on foreign soil," the president added.
According to the U.S. State Department's website, "To designate a country as a State Sponsor of Terrorism, the Secretary of State must determine that the government of such country has repeatedly provided support for acts of international terrorism."
North Korea had been on the list and subject to the additional sanctions that go along with it, but the regime was removed in 2008 under diplomatic efforts by the George W. Bush administration, reports The Hill.
However, last month, a bipartisan group of lawmakers recommended that current Secretary of State Rex Tillerson re-instate the status, citing "the totality of North Korea's actions – including detainment, detention and treatment of American citizens and continued illicit relationships with unfriendly nations."
President Trump recently announced that the U.S. was adding North Korea back to the list of state sponsors of terrorism.
In response, North Korea on Wednesday denied that it has engaged in terrorism and called the move "a serious provocation and a violent infringement."
According to the Independent, a spokesperson for North Korea's foreign ministry told the state-run news agency KCNA that the designation was "just a tool for American style authoritarianism that can be attached or removed at any time in accordance with its interests."
"No sanction or pressure can stand up to the great and limitless strength of self-reliance and self-development of our people who are closely rallied around their leader," the spokesperson also said, CNN reports.
Trump made the announcement on Monday prior to a Cabinet meeting.
"We will be instituting a very critical step, and that will start right now. Today, the United States is designating North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism," Trump said. "It should have happened a long time ago. It should have happened years ago."
"In addition to threatening the world by nuclear devastation, North Korea has repeatedly supported acts of international terrorism, including assassinations on foreign soil," the president added.
According to the U.S. State Department's website, "To designate a country as a State Sponsor of Terrorism, the Secretary of State must determine that the government of such country has repeatedly provided support for acts of international terrorism."
North Korea had been on the list and subject to the additional sanctions that go along with it, but the regime was removed in 2008 under diplomatic efforts by the George W. Bush administration, reports The Hill.
However, last month, a bipartisan group of lawmakers recommended that current Secretary of State Rex Tillerson re-instate the status, citing "the totality of North Korea's actions – including detainment, detention and treatment of American citizens and continued illicit relationships with unfriendly nations."