Having watched the NATO eastward expansion script for thirty years, North Korea’s remarks this time have indeed added an Asia-Pacific perspective—interesting.

According to KCNA, a spokesperson for the North Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the United States and its allies openly stoked confrontation at the NATO summit, undermining European security and creating instability in the Asia-Pacific. NATO is viewed as a “war-confrontation organization” pursuing exclusive geopolitical interests. The spokesperson criticized that NATO, after the Cold War, had not disappeared and continued its eastward expansion, damaging regional security and shifting responsibility. North Korea said it will further strengthen its capabilities to stop confrontation and military threats, and to uphold national sovereignty and regional peace and stability.