At the recent U.S.-south Korea talks of "foreign and defense chiefs", the U.S. officially announced that it would stage large-scale war exercises against the DPRK and slap additional sanctions against it.

The U.S. state secretary and defense secretary, touring the Demilitarized Zone along the Military Demarcation Line, made no scruple of letting loose anti-DPRK outbursts, fanning up war fever.

The U.S. has gone so fool as to try to browbeat the DPRK by brandishing a nuclear stick. This military provocation reminiscent of the "gunboat diplomacy" in the last century goes to prove that the U.S. has not yet discarded the Cold War way of thinking but has pursued confrontation, relying on outdated "military alliance".

The DPRK clarified internally and externally its will to settle the issue through the six-party talks on an equal footing, prompted by its desire to preserve peace and security on the Korean Peninsula and in the region.

The U.S., however, is driving the situation to an extreme phase after opting to escalate confrontation with the DPRK under the pretext of the "Cheonan" case with which the DPRK has nothing to do. The U.S. denied all dialogues including the DPRK-U.S. talks and the six-party talks, thus reneging on all its commitments before the international community and increasing its pressure upon the DPRK through war exercises and sanctions.

The U.S. provocations amount to trespassing on the off-limits fixed by the DPRK and it, therefore, feels no need to remain bounded to the off-limits drawn by the U.S.

It is the mode of the DPRK's counteraction to react to sword brandishing in kind. The DPRK is prepared for both dialogue and war. It will remain unfazed by military threat and sanctions.

The present reality more clearly proves who is the arch criminal harassing peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula and the rest of Northeast Asia.

The DPRK will bolster its nuclear deterrent in a more diversified manner and take strong physical measures as it had already clarified, now that the U.S. opted for military provocations, sanctions and pressure, defying the demand of the international community including the UN Security Council. The U.S. will be held wholly accountable for all ensuing consequences.