North Korea Denounces South Korea-Japan Military Cooperation

North Korea on Thursday denounced military cooperation between South Korea and Japan as a foolish act of courting self-destruction. The statement came from a section chief at North Korea's Institute of Enemy State Studies in a commentary carried by the Korean Central News Agency. The commentary said the cooperation would do nothing to weaken North Korea's deterrence capabilities.

The commentary pointed to recent defense ministerial talks between Seoul and Tokyo and South Korea's jets refueling at a Japanese air base earlier this year. It warned these developments should not be overlooked. It said the deepening security ties are laying the groundwork for a logistics support agreement that would let the two countries supply each other with munitions in contingency.

The commentary described Japan's security cooperation as confrontation cooperation targeting North Korea. It said the cooperation is part of a broader effort to build a triangular cooperation system among the United States, South Korea and Japan. It added that Japan and South Korea are talking about the importance of U.S.-Japan-South Korea cooperation, deploying long-range missiles and attempting to possess nuclear-powered submarines.

The commentary said such cooperation only justifies North Korea's nuclear ambitions.