North Korea has warned the United States that its plans for a “Golden Dome” missile defence system could “turn outer space into a potential nuclear war field”. The defence shield has been lauded by President Donald Trump who says that he would like to see it installed during his term in office.
Based on Israel’s “Iron Dome” system, the plans intend to protect the country from “next-generation” threats, including ballistic and cruise missiles. But the proposals have been criticised by the secretive state whose ever-developing missile programme is one of the threats the US is seeking to counter. Pyongyang’s foreign ministry blasted the proposals on state media, labelling them as a “threatening initiative” and “the height of self-righteousness arrogance”.
They further accused the country of being “hell-bent… to militarise outer space” amid a “global nuclear and space arms race”.
The memorandum added: “The US plan for building a new missile defence system is the root cause of sparking off a global nuclear and space arms race by stimulating the security concerns of nuclear weapons states and turning outer space into a potential nuclear war field.”
According to Hong Min, a senior analyst at the Korea Institute for National Unification, North Korea sees the plans as a threat to its burgeoning nuclear arsenal.
He told AFP news agency: “If the US completes its new missile defence programme, the North will be forced to develop alternative means to counter or penetrate it.”
Donald Trump discussed the plans with the media earlier this month, with the president signing the “Iron Dome for America” executive order, instructing defence chiefs to begin drafting plans for the system that would protect the country from a range of sophisticated missile attacks.
The project has been estimated to cost around $175 billion, but other estimates suggest that the eventual price could be three times as high over the next 20 years.
North Korea has attempted to develop its nuclear capabilities this century despite international sanctions and pressure to cease.
The country has carried out hundreds of missile tests in defiance of UN Security Council resolutions, including a 2006 UN Security Council order banning its development of nuclear weapons and related activities.
China has also expressed concerns over the project and has called on Washington to abandon its development.
