DPRK accuses NATO of infiltration into Asia, 'military collusion'
DPRK denounces Japan for its plans to open a NATO liaison office and hints that the bloc's greater meddling will harm the region's security and stability.
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US President Joe Biden meets with the leaders of South Korea and Japan during a NATO summit in Spain, on June 29, 2022. (AP)
DPRK's Foreign Ministry has accused NATO of increasing its meddling in Asia, referring to growing “military collusion” with Japan.
An official with the Japan Research Center of the Foreign Ministry, Kim Seol-hwa, said in remarks reported by the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Monday that Washington is steadily pushing NATO into Asia through alliances with regional countries.
“It is an open secret that the United States… has been trying to create a military alliance like this in the Asia-Pacific region,” he said.
The official also added that the “recent unprecedented military collusion between Japan and NATO is arousing great concern and alertness in the international community.”
Elsewhere in his remarks, Kim cited recent reports that NATO is now engaged in talks to open a “liaison office” in Japan.
The office would be reportedly used to “conduct periodic consultations with Japan and key partners in the region such as South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand,” as per the Nikkei Asia news website.
“All facts clearly show that NATO's attempt to advance into the Asia-Pacific region through military collusion with Japan has entered a dangerous implementation phase,” the Foreign Ministry official continued.
He also identified other “confrontational alliances” most notably the ‘Quad’ bloc – which Beijing has denounced as an “Asian NATO” – and AUKUS.
In April, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg visited Tokyo as part of an Asia trip, stressing that Japan and NATO must "remain united and firm" in the face of security Chinese, Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), and Russian "threats", especially given the situation of the war in Ukraine.
This is happening as Tokyo eyes a major arms buildup since World War II, intensifying tensions with China while increasing its coordination with the West in the Asia Pacific region.
Stepping up cooperation, Stoltenberg met with Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi at the alliance’s headquarters in Brussels on April 4, where the two officials promised to further boost their partnership. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida also met with the NATO chief earlier this year, after participating in an alliance summit in 2022, a first for a Japanese Premier.
The US-led alliance, according to Kim, hopes to "keep neighboring countries in check" while expanding its military presence across the continent. Kim stated that NATO's outreach to nations like Japan and South Korea was part of plans to "build a huge anti-China and anti-Russia encirclement" in the larger region.
