Pyongyang cautions that other countries will need to strengthen their defenses.
North Korea has declared that US President Donald Trump’s proposed “Golden Dome” anti-ballistic missile defense system will trigger a nuclear arms race.
Trump introduced the plan last week, outlining a multi-layered defense against long-range threats to the US. The system would involve deploying interceptor weapons in space and potentially striking launch sites before missiles are launched. The Congressional Budget Office estimates the project’s cost could exceed $542 billion over 20 years.
In a memorandum released by the Foreign Ministry’s Institute for American Studies, North Korea restated its concerns, calling the Golden Dome an inherently offensive system and a “malignant factor” that would escalate a global strategic arms race. State media reported on these findings Tuesday.
The memorandum alleged that Washington is attempting to militarize space, which would force nations not allied with the US to develop similar nuclear capabilities as their only means of defense. It also cautioned that US “satellite states,” such as South Korea and Japan, could be integrated into American military strategy and become “cannon fodder” in future conflicts.
According to the state-run Korean Central News Agency, the project exemplifies “America first,” representing the height of self-importance, arrogance, and arbitrary behavior, and it represents a nuclear war scenario in space that supports the US strategy for unipolar dominance.
Last week, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, when asked about the Golden Dome, stated that all countries have the right to develop defenses against perceived threats. However, Moscow has consistently opposed the militarization of space and any actions that could destabilize the global strategic balance.
At his annual press conference last December, President Vladimir Putin emphasized Russia’s efforts to ensure its nuclear weapons can overcome any countermeasures. He asserted that the US’s decades-long investment in anti-ballistic missile infrastructure “cost a lot to taxpayers and contribute little to the security for their country.”
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