Pyongyang, May 28 (KCNA) -- A spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea gave the following answer to a question raised by KCNA on May 28 as regards the fact that the recent U.S.-led QUAD foreign ministers' meeting made public a "joint statement", which includes the content pulling up the DPRK:

The "joint statement" not only seriously distorted the immediate and urgent challenges and threats faced by the countries in the Asia-Pacific region but also clearly exposed the hostile intention against specific countries.

QUAD talked about the strengthening of cooperation while expressing "concern" over the situation in the South Sea and East Sea of China. It is aimed at justifying Japan's moves for rearmament and Australia's possession of a nuclear submarine, which are arousing concern of the international community.

The creation of the "Critical Minerals Initiative Framework" newly, agreed by QUAD, also contains an exclusive and confrontational nature as it is pursuant to the foreign strategy of the present U.S. administration to hold a hegemonic position in the world supply chain by expanding the concept of security to the economic field.

In particular, the U.S.-led QUAD members took issue with the DPRK's legitimate exercise of sovereign rights, calling for "denuclearization". This goes to prove that QUAD is nothing but a political and diplomatic tool serving the U.S. strategy for unipolar domination.

The signboard of "peace and stability" cannot be a means for justifying the U.S. policy of inter-camp confrontation.

The Foreign Ministry of the DPRK resolutely denounces and rejects the U.S.-led QUAD's hostile stand against the DPRK and other regional countries, and strongly demands that it drop its attempt to escalate inter-camp confrontation destroying regional peace and stability.

Explicitly speaking once again, the "denuclearization" of the DPRK will never happen forever.

We will thoroughly defend the sovereign rights, security interests and development rights of the state no matter what others may say, and actively join the international efforts to oppose the formation of an exclusive group and inter-camp confrontation in the region and promote the mutual trust, cooperation, peace and co-prosperity among nations. -0-