North Korea says it will speed up nuke program in response to US

In this April 15, 2017, file photo, a submarine missile is paraded across Kim Il Sung Square during a military parade in Pyongyang, North Korea to celebrate the 105th birth anniversary of Kim Il Sung, the country’s late founder and grandfather of current ruler Kim Jong Un. AP

UNITED NATIONS — North Korea’s Foreign Ministry says the country will speed up measures to bolster its nuclear program “at the maximum pace” in response to the new U.S. policy that calls for new sanctions and “maximum pressure and engagement.”

A statement from the Foreign Ministry spokesman on Monday that was circulated by North Korea’s U.N. Mission says the government is ready to respond to any option taken by the United States.

It says that during recent U.S.-South Korean military drills, “U.S. aggression hysteria” reached its highest point and the situation on the Korean peninsula inched closer “to the brink of nuclear war.”

It says that unless Washington ends its “hostile policy” and nuclear threats, North Korea “will continue to bolster its military capabilities for self-defense and pre-emptive nuclear attack” despite “manifold difficulties.” CBB