The statement said:

Traitor Lee unhesitatingly blustered that it is impossible to improve the north-south relations through cooperation from the outset of the new year. This is an undisguised denial of the national reconciliation and unity and an open declaration of confrontation quite contrary to the trend of the June 15 era of reunification.

In Korea now in the state of armistice confrontation precisely means escalated tension and it is bound to lead to a war which can neither be averted nor avoided.

The warmongers of the puppet military consider a war as a way out. So, they have openly cried out for supporting the policy for confrontation with the north by force of arms under the motto of backing "the ruler's idea" as if they had been waiting for the declaration of confrontation to be announced.

The puppet minister of Defense cried out for making full preparations for the possible third West Sea skirmish and the puppet chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff went the lengths of talking about "punishment" of someone, far from drawing a lesson from the wild remarks calling for "preemptive attack."

In fact, the intrusions into the territorial waters of the DPRK side being perpetrated by warships of the south Korean puppet navy in the West Sea of Korea almost every day, various military provocations and all forms of anti-DPRK confrontational ruckuses being kicked up by them have already gone beyond the danger line and the DPRK-targeted war exercises have reached such a serious phase that the DPRK can no longer remain an onlooker to them.

Shortly ago, 90 percent of Aegis warships of the navy of the U.S. imperialist aggression forces equipped with ballistic missiles and even carrier task force equipped with nuclear bombs were deployed in the waters of the Pacific targeted against the DPRK as desired by traitor Lee and his group. Not only Stealth tactical flying corps bolstered in the area of Okinawa all of a sudden recently but other strike means of the U.S. aggression forces including flying corps of strategic bombers already deployed there are always ready to go into action in the areas around the Korean Peninsula.

The revolutionary armed forces of the DPRK which dismissed Lee and his group's rhetoric about "resumption of dialogue" and "respect" for the historic two inter-Korean joint declarations as sleight of hand aimed to make a mockery of the nation and hoodwink the public long ago have since closely followed every move of the enemy.

In view of the prevailing grave situation, the General Staff of the KPA clarifies internally and externally the following principled stand to discharge its noble mission to defend the sovereignty and dignity of the nation and protect our socialist country as an impregnable fortress:

1. Now that traitor Lee Myung Bak and his group opted for confrontation, denying national reconciliation and cooperation, backed by foreign forces, our revolutionary armed forces are compelled to take an all-out confrontational posture to shatter them.

The world will clearly see how the reckless anti-DPRK confrontation moves of the group going against the mindset of the people desirous of national unity and cooperation will go bust in face of our army standing in an all-out confrontation with them.

Our all-out confrontational posture is based on support and encouragement of all the servicepersons and people and the confrontational posture of justice desired by the nation.

2. The frantic preparations being stepped up by the puppet military warhawks for "preemptive strike" and "punishment" of the DPRK, blindly following the so-called "idea of the ruler" touted by the traitor, will compel our revolutionary armed forces to take a strong military retaliatory step to wipe them out.

Traitor Lee Myung Bak and the puppet military warmongers should clearly understand that our military retaliatory step will be implemented by the limitless merciless strike power of the strong revolutionary army of Mt. Paektu and a resolute action which can hardly be countered by any up-to-date means in the world.

The more hysteric the group of traitors become in crying out for a war of aggression against the north, pursuant to the moves to incite hostility towards it and strengthen the war posture, the sterner and more merciless punishment we will mete out to them as our military retaliation.

3. Our revolutionary armed forces make it clear that we will preserve as it is the extension of the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) in the West Sea already proclaimed to the world as long as there are ceaseless intrusions into the territorial waters of our side in the West Sea in disregard of our sincere steps and magnanimity.

There will exist in the West Sea of Korea only the extension of the MDL designated by the DPRK till the day of national reunification, not the illegal "northern limit line".

Lee and the warmongers of the puppet military will have to keenly realize what high price they will be forced to pay in face of our army for having chosen the road of confrontation with fellow countrymen by themselves.

There is no future for the wicked confrontation maniacs who turned their backs on the nation.