The 107th meeting of the Maritime Security Committee of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) on May 31 forcibly adopted a "resolution" branding the DPRK's measures for bolstering up its self-defence capabilities as "violation of UNSC resolution" and "threat to international maritime security", pursuant to the U.S. and its vassal forces' hostile policy toward the DPRK.

It was the first time in the history of IMO to cook up such resolution criticizing the missile launch of an individual country. This goes to prove that IMO has been completely politicized, abandoning its original mission of promoting international cooperation in the field of maritime security.

At the IMO meeting on the day when the DPRK launched a military reconnaissance satellite, the U.S. and its followers postponed all the discussions and forcibly adopted an anti-DPRK "resolution", thus openly revealing their sinister intention to incite international criticism over the DPRK's satellite launch.

The DPRK's measures for bolstering up its military capabilities are an exercise of its sovereign rights for self-defence to protect the security of the country and the people from the ever-more reckless military hostile acts of the U.S. and its vassal forces and to defend the regional peace and stability.

This is a legitimate right of a sovereign state clearly stipulated in the UN Charter and relevant international laws, and an international organization has neither authority nor qualification to say this or that about it.

As for our missile launching activities, our army has conducted the missile test-firing drills in the safest way in thorough consideration of the security of regional countries and in fact, there has been no harm to any country so far.

On the contrary, the world witnessed not a few accidents due to the fall of rockets or missiles launched by Western and other countries.

Moreover, for its recent military reconnaissance satellite launch, the DPRK issued a maritime warning to the Maritime Security Agency of Japan, a regional troubleshooting body, as specified by IMO and also briefed the organization in advance on the period of launch and the impact point of the carrier rocket remains, though it was not obligatory.

What was surprising is that IMO, when receiving our previous notice, said it was not obligatory and then later impudently talked about "violation of the regulations".

I would like to ask the organization that if the remains of satellite carrier rocket launched by the DPRK pose a threat to the maritime security, the debris of rockets launched by the U.S. or south Korea are floating still in the sky like cilia, not dropping into the sea.

Disregarding such simple and clear scientific principle, IMO seeks to violate even the exercise of legitimate rights to self-defence by a sovereign state. This excess of authority makes one regard the organization as an office of the White House rather than an expert body of the UN.

If IMO continues to take an unfair and prejudiced double-dealing attitude in its activities as now, being reduced into a plaything of the U.S., it will surely lose the confidence of the international community and forfeit its existence as an organization whose mission is to guarantee the international maritime security.

It would be good for IMO, which is degrading its international reputation as a prestigious UN expert body under the pressure of the U.S. high-handed and arbitrary practices, not to talk about the DPRK's sovereignty right again for preserving its honor.

As IMO responded to the DPRK's advance notice on its satellite launch with the adoption of an anti-DPRK "resolution", we will regard this as its official manifestation of stand that the DPRK's advance notice is no longer necessary.

In the future, IMO should know and take measures by itself over the period of the DPRK's satellite launch and the impact point of its carrier and be prepared for taking full responsibility for all the consequences to be entailed from it.