North Korea warns US arms sale risks 'adverse effect' on security

North Korea's Foreign Ministry on Thursday condemned Washington's approval of a new arms sale to South Korea, warning that continued US weapons supplies could have an "adverse effect" on the Asia-Pacific security environment and pledging a forceful response to what it called growing American hostility.

US approves $125M missile sale to Seoul

The US State Department last week cleared a potential sale of 103 AIM-9X Sidewinder Block II tactical missiles and related equipment to South Korea, valued at approximately $125 million, according to the Korean Central News Agency. The department said the deal would support Washington's national security objectives in the Indo-Pacific and help improve Seoul's capability to meet current and future threats by expanding its air defense capability.

The State Department noted that the sale would deter aggression in the region and ensure interoperability with US Forces, supporting American security objectives in the area.

Pyongyang vows 'serious, immediate and powerful response'

A spokesperson for the North Korean Foreign Ministry told KCNA that Pyongyang considers the recurring military deals an open demonstration of US "hostility." "Now that the military integration of the US and its allies is being accelerated in the Asia-Pacific region, we can not overlook the adverse effect of the US sale of its weapons to South Korea on the regional security environment," the spokesperson said. The ministry vowed a "serious, immediate and powerful response" to the military buildup.

Regional military buildup and human rights row

Pyongyang noted that the US has cleared sales of advanced weaponry to Seoul throughout the year, including naval helicopters, attack helicopters and precision-guided munitions, accusing Washington of stoking confrontation on the Korean Peninsula. The spokesperson also criticized Washington for allocating funding to programs documenting the human rights situation in North Korea, calling it a "smear campaign" aimed at inciting internal social disruption.

South Korea hosts nearly 39,000 American soldiers under a bilateral defense treaty, making it one of Washington's key military allies in the region. The missile sale approval follows a series of North Korean weapons tests earlier this year that have heightened military tensions across the Asia-Pacific.