Rodong Sinmun Tuesday observes in a signed commentary in this regard:

The U.S. outbursts revealing its intention to perpetuate its military presence in south Korea were prompted by its sinister aim to put south Korea under its permanent control in a bid to use it as an advance base for carrying out its strategies to invade the DPRK and the rest of Asia.

The "security" on the lips of the U.S. means a slogan for igniting the second Korean war and a theory of aggression. It is in pursuance of this scenario that the U.S. imperialists seek to turn the command of the 8th U.S. army into a command for executing a war.

It is as clear as noonday that in case the command of the 8th U.S. army is formally inaugurated as a field command for carrying out a war, the commander of the U.S. forces present in south Korea will exercise the right to command wartime operations for hurling not only huge U.S. army, naval and air forces and marines deployed in the vicinity of the Korean Peninsula but strategic nuclear forces into the Korean war to be provoked by them.

This is aimed at ensuring a coordinated operational command over the huge U.S. forces to be hurled into the peninsula in case of "emergency" in a bid to win the war by a blitz.

It is hypocritical for the U.S. imperialists to talk about "ensuring security" on the peninsula. Neither detente nor peace can be expected on the peninsula as long as the U.S. pursues a war, keeping its forces in south Korea.

The U.S. is tightening its sanctions and increasing its pressure upon the DPRK, raising a hue and cry over any "military threat" from it. This cannot be interpreted otherwise than a deliberate move to strain the DPRK-U.S. relations to an extreme phase of tension and move up the zero hour for a war.

The U.S. would be well advised to ponder over the grave consequences to be entailed by its adventurous scenario to start the war.