North Korea calls UN chief's remarks on missile test 'unfair'

North Korea on Wednesday accused United Nations SecretaryGeneral Antonio Guterres of an extremely unfair and imbalanced attitude as it lambasted him for condemning its recent missile test but ignoring alleged US hostility against the NorthThe accusation came as US South Korean and Japanese destroyers were holding trilateral antimissile training near the Korean Peninsula a move the North could regard as a provocationAfter the Norths intercontinental ballistic missile test on Saturday Guterres strongly condemned the launch and reiterated his call for the North to immediately desist from making any further provocationsIn a statement Guterres also urged North Korea to resume talks on denuclearisation of the Korean PeninsulaTo be most deplorable the UN secretarygeneral is going on the rampage of illogical and miserable remarks which are little different from those of US State Department officials over the years Kim Son Gyong the Norths vice foreign minister for international bodies said in a statement carried by state mediaKim said North Koreas ICBM test was a response to the security threat the US posed to the North by temporarily deploying longrange bombers for joint training with South Korea earlier this year Kim said the test was also a warning to the earlier convocation of the UN Security Council on the NorthNorth Korea views USSouth Korea military drills as an invasion rehearsal and is particularly sensitive to the US mobilisation of B1B bombers that can carry a massive conventional payload of both guided and unguided weaponsAfter the Norths ICBM test the United States flew B1B bombers again for separate drills with South Korean and Japanese warplanesThe UN secretarygeneral should clearly understand that his unreasonable and prejudiced stand on the Korean Peninsula issue is acting as a factor inciting the hostile acts of the US and its followers against North Korea Kim saidAlso read North Korea fires missile 2 days after ICBM testLast November North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui called Guterres a puppet of the United States for condemning an earlier ICBM test by the NorthSaturdays ICBM test the Norths first missile test since January 1 was made on a steep angle to avoid neighbouring countriesThe reported launch details again suggested the North has missiles that can reach the US mainland But many foreign experts say the North still must master some last remaining technologies to acquire functioning nucleartipped missiles such as one shielding missiles from the harsh conditions during atmospheric reentryIn response to the latest US deployment of B1B bombers on Sunday North Korea said its 600millimeter multiple rocket launcher fired two rounds off its east coast the next day North Korea has said its rockets can carry nuclear warheads South Korea views the weapons as a shortrange ballistic missileIn a closeddoor briefing at parliament on Wednesday South Koreas military intelligence authorities said that North Korea could conduct further provocations such as a nuclear test a spy satellite launch or an ICBM test on a standard trajectory according to Yoo Sangbum a lawmaker who attended the meeting South Korea and the United States are to hold a set of joint military drills in coming weeks including a tabletop exercise set to take place at the Pentagon on WednesdayThe USSouth KoreaJapan exercise on Wednesday took place in international waters off the Korean Peninsulas east coastThe three countries were meant to practice procedures to detect track and intercept missiles while sharing related information among themselves South Koreas Joint Chiefs of Staff said It was their first trilateral training in four monthsLast year North Korea testlaunched more than 70 missiles the most ever in a single year as part of its efforts to enlarge its weapons arsenal Observers say the North would eventually want to win international recognition as a legitimate nuclear state and use that status as a way to get UN and other international sanctions on it liftedThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever