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WORLD NEWS Wednesday 21 december 2022
North Korea threatens strong military step against Japan

By HYUNG-JIN KIM Japan “a war criminal state
Associated Press which inflicted untold mis-
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) fortune and sufferings upon
— North Korea threatened the Korean people.”
Tuesday to take a “reso- North Korea’s pursuit of
lute and decisive military nuclear-tipped missiles is a
step” against Japan while it major security concern for
slammed Tokyo’s adoption Japan, which sits in their
of a national security strat- range together with South
egy as an attempt to turn Korea and the mainland
the country into “an offen- U.S. In October, North Ko-
sive military giant.” rea fired an intermediate-
The North’s statement range missile over Japan,
came four days after Ja- forcing Tokyo to issue evac-
pan announced a secu- uation alerts and halt trains.
rity strategy that includes On Tuesday, Japanese
a counterstrike capability Chief Cabinet Secretary
against enemy targets and Hirokazu Matsuno accused
doubles its military spend- North Korea of posing “se-
ing to gain a more offensive rious and pressing threats”
footing against threats from to Japanese and regional
China and North Korea. security with its unprec-
The North’s Foreign Minis- Protesters confront police officers during a rally to oppose Japan’s adoption of a new national edented pace of missile
try said in a statement that security strategy near the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2022. tests this year. He said Ja-
Japan’s push to acquire Associated Press pan will cooperate with
counterstrike capability has tified ministry spokesperson wants to make sure it can Asian countries, anti-Jap- the United State and South
nothing to do with self-de- said in a statement carried take “a resolute and deci- anese sentiments still run Korea to achieve North Ko-
fense but is a clear attempt by state media. sive military step” to protect deep in North Korea be- rea’s denuclearization. The
to acquire “preemptive The statement accused its sovereignty and national cause of Japan’s wartime Japanese strategy names
attack capability meant the United States of sup- interests in the wake of the atrocities. The Korean Pen- China as “the biggest stra-
to launch strikes on other porting and instigating the complexity of regional se- insula was under Japanese tegic challenge” before
countries’ territories.” Japanese military ambi- curity caused by the Japa- colonial rule from 1910- North Korea and Russia to
“Japan’s foolish attempt tions and undermining re- nese strategy. 1945 before it was split into Tokyo’s efforts to ensure
to satiate its black-hearted gional peace. It said that “Our country will continue a capitalist, U.S.-backed peace, safety and stability.
greed the building up of such U.S. moves are forc- to take actions to show South Korea and a socialist, Chinese Foreign Ministry
its military invasion capa- ing North Korea to work how much we are con- Soviet-supported North Ko- spokesperson Wang Wen-
bility under the pretext of hard to complete its plans cerned and displeased rea at the end of the World bin said last week that “hyp-
(North Korea’s) legitimate to develop new strategic with Japan’s unjust, greedy War II. North Korea’s state ing up the so-called China
exercise of the right to self- weapons to thwart enemy attempt to realize its wild media routinely criticize threat to find an excuse for
defense cannot be justified attempts to invade it. The ambitions,” the statement Japanese colonial past. Its (Japan’s) military buildup is
and tolerated,” an uniden- statement said North Korea said. Like in some other statement Tuesday called doomed to fail.”q

Former Australian leader Kevin Rudd appointed U.S. ambassador

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) Prime Minister Anthony Al- ground as a China scholar was then herself abruptly that he loves. And I am sure
— Former Australian Prime banese announced the and previous work in the replaced by Rudd in 2013. that he will serve very well.”
Minister Kevin Rudd has appointment Tuesday, cit- U.S. Albanese said Rudd Rudd has often been a di- Rudd, who speaks Manda-
been chosen as the na- ing Rudd’s roles as leader would begin early next visive figure in Australian rin, is currently serving as
tion’s next ambassador to and foreign minister as well year. “Dr. Rudd brings un- politics, and reporters on president and chief execu-
the United States. as his academic back- matched experience to Tuesday questioned Al- tive of the Asia Society in
the role,” Albanese said. banese about appointing New York.
In a statement, Rudd said somebody who had a rep- He has lived in the U.S. for
he was greatly honored to utation as a micromanager most of the past decade,
be chosen. He said Austra- and who has been harshly working first at the Harvard
lia faces the most challeng- critical of media mogul Ru- Kennedy School research-
ing security and diplomatic pert Murdoch and former ing U.S.-China relations,
environment it has in de- President Donald Trump. followed by eight years
cades. Albanese said Rudd was in various roles at the Asia
Rudd served as prime min- an “outstanding appoint- Society. “In some ways, my
ister from 2007 to 2010 and ment” and the U.S. would new position will not be dis-
again briefly in 2013 before view the choice of a for- similar to the work I have
his center-left Labor party mer prime minister as “very been undertaking at Asia
lost a general election. He significant.” “I am very Society to support great-
served as foreign minister pleased that Kevin Rudd er cooperation between
from 2010 to 2012. is prepared to do this,” Al- the U.S. and the countries
Australia has a rough-and- banese said. “He certainly of our region experience
Former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd gestures at a Labor tumble political style, and doesn’t need to do this. which should hold me in
Party rally during the federal election campaign in Brisbane, Rudd was abruptly re- He’s doing it out of a part of good stead for the chal-
Australia on May 15, 2022. placed as prime minister what he sees as his service lenge ahead,” Rudd said in
Associated Press by Julia Gillard in 2010, who obligation to the country his statement.q