MOSCOW. April 18 (Interfax) - Pyongyang stands ready to respond to any provocation by the United States, including by resorting to all-out hostilities, Minister Plenipotentiary at the North Korean Embassy in Moscow Jing Jong Heb said.
"The situation in the Korean Peninsula is explosive. The U.S. and the South Korean puppets conduct large-scale and dangerous military exercises off the Korean Peninsula's coast every year," Jing said at a meeting with Liberal Democratic Party of Russia leader Vladimir Zhirinovsky at the State Duma.
"[North Korea] has developed its own nuclear deterrence forces in order to protect itself from nuclear threats coming from the U.S.," the diplomat said.
"As our army's representative has said, our people are ready to respond to all threats. If it is about an all-out war, we are also ready for an all-out war," he said.
When commenting on U.S. policy, Jing said that the new U.S. administration continued to pursue an aggressive approach toward Pyongyang.
"We were waiting to see what policy the new administration would pursue. The essence of America's policy, which is all about robbery and aggression, has not changed," he said.
"Our army and our people have the will, the readiness and the strength to respond to any provocation by a hostile force," the North Korean diplomat said.
Jing also said that relations between Russia and North Korea were developing successfully.
"[North] Korean-Russian relations are developing successfully despite the difficulties," he said, thanking Russia for support.