Pyongyang promised Washington and its allies that they would “pay an unimaginably harsh price” for its increasing military presence in the Pacific. At last week’s NATO summit, the bloc agreed to step up its military activity near North Korea. 

Signed by NATO’s 32 members, the statement called on the alliance to build ties with partners in the Pacific, namely Australia, Japan, New Zealand, and South Korea.

The bloc went on to accuse the North of “fuelling Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine by providing direct military support to Russia.” 

“We strongly condemn the DPRK’s exports of artillery shells and ballistic missiles,” it says, voicing “great concern” over the “deepening ties between the DPRK and Russia. Any transfer of ballistic missiles and related technology by Iran to Russia would represent a substantial escalation.”

Pyongyang reacted sharply to NATO’s growing interest in the Pacific. A North Korean statement noted that the US and South Korea signed an agreement on the use of nuclear weapons for the first time during the NATO summit in Washington. 

The deal is the first between the US and South Korea governing the use of nuclear weapons. While the details of the agreement are not public, the two sides said it “provides a solid foundation for enhancing US-[South Korean] extended deterrence cooperation in an integrated manner.”

Pyongyang described the agreement as “provocative.” In a statement carried by North Korea’s state media, the Defense Ministry said, “Our enemies’ nuclear threat, which is ever-escalating in an offensive and frantic manner… urgently requires the DPRK to further improve its nuclear deterrent readiness.”

“We know what we have to do and we will continue our activities necessary for it. We seriously warn the hostile states not to commit such provocative acts causing instability any more,” it added. “If they ignore this warning, they will have to pay an unimaginably harsh price for it.”