TEHRAN, Jan. 01 (MNA) – North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said on Sunday that the United States, under the pretext of strengthening cooperation with South Korea and Japan, was creating an "Asian version of NATO." 

"In 2022 the US frequently deployed various nuclear strike means in South Korea at the level of constant deployment, increasing the level of military pressure on the DPRK [Democratic People's Republic of Korea] to the maximum. And, at the same time, it is pushing forward the realization of triangular cooperation with Japan and South Korea on a full scale while working hard to establish a new military bloc like an Asian version of NATO under the signboard of a ‘tightening alliance," Kim Jong-un said in a report on the Workers' Party of Korea plenary meeting, as cited by local media, Sputnik reported. 

The North Korean leader also noted the importance of strengthening the self-defense capabilities of Pyongyang amid serious external challenges and the current state of inter-Korean relations. 

Lately, North Korea was actively carrying out missile tests. In 2022, North Korea has conducted nearly 40 test-launches, firing around 70 missiles, including an intercontinental ballistic missile test-fired in November. The tests came in response to joint US-South Korea drills in the region.

SKH/PR