North Korea on Wednesday responded to recent comments by US Defense Secretary Mark Esper about the possibility of deploying ground-launched, intermediate-range missiles in Asia, by warning that placing such missiles in South Korea would be “a reckless act of escalating regional tension, an act that may spark off a new Cold War and arms race in the Far Eastern region.”
Esper had spoken out in favor of deploying missiles in the region after the Intermediate Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty was abandoned by the US and Russia earlier this month. South Korea has said that Esper’s suggestion is not being discussed.
North Korea recently carried out various missile tests in response to US-South Korea joint military exercises. These tests have been downplayed by US President Donald Trump.
Read more: Deploying new U.S. missiles would be ‘reckless act’: North Korean media
