N. Korea says expansion of AUKUS will turn Asia-Pacific region into 'nuclear minefield'

North Korea 11:09 April 25, 2024

SEOUL, April 25 (Yonhap) -- North Korea on Thursday criticized the United States, Britain and Australia's move to expand their AUKUS security partnership to more countries, warning that the move will only turn the Asia-Pacific region into a "touch-and-go nuclear minefield."

Earlier this month, the defense chiefs of the three AUKUS nations issued a statement noting their consideration of Japan as a partner for advanced military technology fields in their trilateral AUKUS security cooperation.

They are also considering South Korea, Canada and New Zealand as potential partners for cooperation on Pillar II advanced capability projects. AUKUS, launched in September 2021, is largely seen as a group of like-minded countries formed to counter China's assertiveness.

"It is the sinister intention of the U.S. to make Japan... a crewmember of a confrontation ship called AUKUS and put it at the outpost line of the anti-China pressure and push the nuclear minefield in the Asia-Pacific region closer to China," Kang Jin-song, an international affairs analyst, said in a statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency.

Kang accused the U.S. of attempting to seek stronger security cooperation with South Korea, Australia, Japan and the Philippines based on what he called "anti-China confrontation."

"The peace camp in the region and the rest of the world should heighten vigilance against the reckless moves of Washington to frantically expand its alliance sphere without limits, targeting a certain state," Kang said.