North Korea has accused the United States, Japan and South Korea for making moves to create an “Asian version of NATO.”
The charge was made by state news agency KCNA on Wednesday, hours before Fumio Kishida, Japan’s prime minister, and Yoon Suk-yeol, the South Korean president, were due to meet US President Joe Biden as they attended NATO’s annual summit as observers for the first time.
The meeting with Mr Biden will be their first trilateral summit since 2017.
The three countries will also conduct a combined missile detection and tracking exercise near Hawaii in early August, called Pacific Dragon.
“The U.S. is getting hell-bent on the military cooperation with its stooges in disregard of the primary security demand and concern by Asia-pacific countries,” KCNA said.
“The scheme for formation of the U.S.-Japan-South Korea military alliance, motivated by Japan’s and South Korea’s kowtowing to the U.S., is evidently a dangerous prelude to the creation of ‘Asian version of NATO’,” the news agency said.
Pyongyang has carried out a record 31 missile tests so far this year, including a suspected hypersonic weapon and its largest intercontinental ballistic missile.