Overview
- Defense Minister No Kwang-chol, in a statement carried by KCNA, called the allies' Security Consultative Meeting an intentional display of hostility.
- No warned that any threat encroaching on the North's security would become a direct target and pledged to respond with powerful strength.
- He criticized recent joint air drills and the port call by the nuclear-powered carrier USS George Washington, which South Korea's navy described as a resupply and crew leave stop.
- A day before the statement, North Korea fired a suspected short-range ballistic missile toward the East Sea, which state media did not report.
- U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said the launch did not pose an immediate threat but underscored destabilizing behavior, as Seoul and Washington maintain coordination after the week's defense talks and DMZ visit by their defense chiefs.