South Korea Responds to North Korea's Criticism of Joint Statement with EU

The Blue House stated that in response to North Korea's criticism of the joint statement from the South Korea-European Union (EU) summit, "the government will consistently pursue a policy of peaceful coexistence on the Korean Peninsula with a long-term perspective."
 
A Blue House official commented on June 14 (local time) regarding the North Korean Foreign Ministry's statement, saying, "The EU also supports our government's policy for easing tensions and establishing peace on the Korean Peninsula."
 
The day before, the North Korean Foreign Ministry criticized the joint statement adopted by President Lee Jae-myung and EU leaders, stating, "The South Korean ruler has thrown off the mask of peace he has been ostentatiously wearing," and added, "Whatever words and actions the Seoul authorities take, they are a challenge to us, and our principle of treating South Korea as a thorough adversary remains unchanged."
 
Earlier, President Lee, António Costa, the President of the European Council, and Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, held a summit in Brussels on June 10, where they adopted a joint statement condemning "the illegal military cooperation between Russia and North Korea," asserting that "North Korea will never be recognized as a nuclear-armed state under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT)," and emphasizing the necessity for substantial improvements in North Korea's human rights situation.