“The reality clearly shows that the real purpose of the US spreading the rumor about a ‘North Korean threat’ is to provide a justification for achieving military superiority in the Asia-Pacific region,” the spokesman said. “The prevailing situation calls more urgently for building up the country’s defenses to actively counter the rapidly deteriorating security environment,” the spokesman added. US President Joe Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yun Suk-yeol met on the sidelines of a NATO summit last week and agreed that progress in North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs posed serious threats not only for the Korean peninsula but also East Asia and the world. They said they would explore further means to strengthen the “comprehensive deterrence” against North Korea. North Korea has been conducting missile tests at an unprecedented rate this year and is believed by some to be preparing for another nuclear test. “The deterrence capabilities of the Japan-US and US-ROK alliances must be upgraded as part of the essential effort to strengthen the tripartite partnership between Japan, the US and the ROK,” Kishida said. Ties between Japan and South Korea have long been strained by memories of Japan’s occupation of the Korean Peninsula from 1910 to 1945. Relations deteriorated to their worst in years under South Korea’s previous president Moon Jae-in, with disputes over territory and history and the two nations canceling an intelligence-sharing pact. Yoon, however, has expressed a desire to mend ties, and Kishida has also appeared to respond positively.
