North Korea Condemns Quad Summit, Accuses US of Violating Its Sovereignty
Seoul, South Korea – North Korea on Tuesday condemned the recent Quad summit held inWilmington, Delaware, accusing the United States of using the forum to violate Pyongyang’s sovereignty and development rights. In a statement carried by the official Korean Central NewsAgency (KCNA), a spokesperson for the North Korean Foreign Ministry denounced the Quad, a grouping of the US, Japan, India, and Australia, as atool for American hegemony and a manifestation of Cold War-era thinking.
The spokesperson asserted that the Quad, despite its stated goals of addressing climate change, food security, and health cooperation, was fundamentally designed to create confrontation and undermine regional stability.The statement claimed that the Quad’s true purpose was to establish a rules-based order dominated by the US and to solidify Washington’s influence in the Indo-Pacific region.
The US is trying to mask the true nature ofthe Quad as a tool for confrontation by using the guise of cooperation in areas like climate change, food security, and health, the statement read. However, the Quad is nothing more than a political and diplomatic tool for the US to implement its strategy of a unipolar world.
North Korea further accused the US ofusing the Quad as a means to bolster its international maritime police force under the pretext of freedom of navigation. The statement alleged that the Quad was ultimately a vehicle for the US to advance its Indo-Pacific strategy, which Pyongyang views as a direct threat to its security and interests.
The Quad leaders, meetingon September 21, released the Wilmington Declaration, in which they condemned North Korea’s nuclear weapons program and its continued ballistic missile launches. The declaration reaffirmed the Quad’s commitment to supporting a complete denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.
The North Korean statement comes as tensions on the Korean peninsula havebeen escalating in recent months. Pyongyang has conducted a series of ballistic missile tests, including the launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in July, prompting condemnation from the international community.
The US has also increased its military presence in the region, deploying strategic assets like nuclear-powered submarines and B-52bombers to the Korean peninsula.
The Quad summit, which was the first in-person meeting of the leaders since 2022, focused on strengthening cooperation in areas such as security, technology, and infrastructure. The group also discussed ways to counter China’s growing influence in the region.
North Korea’scondemnation of the Quad summit is the latest in a series of pronouncements criticizing the US and its allies. Pyongyang has repeatedly accused Washington of pursuing hostile policies aimed at undermining its regime.
Analysts say that North Korea’s rhetoric is likely intended to deter the US and its allies from taking any actions that could be perceived asthreatening. They also note that Pyongyang is likely seeking to leverage the Quad summit to garner international attention and sympathy for its own position.
The future of the Korean peninsula remains uncertain, with the potential for further escalation of tensions. The Quad summit, while focused on broader regional issues, has undoubtedly contributed to the heightened anxieties surroundingNorth Korea’s nuclear program and its increasingly assertive posture.
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