North Korea slams U.S. ‘Golden Dome’ missile defense as ‘blueprint for nuclear war in space’

The North Korean government denounced the U.S. President Donald Trump administration’s proposed space-based missile defense system, “Golden Dome,” calling it a “blueprint for nuclear war in space.”

The U.S. Research Institute of North Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a memorandum on May 26 criticizing the Golden Dome plan as “a highly dangerous threat aimed at making the U.S. military’s offensive operations easier,” according to the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on May 27.

The institute claimed that, contrary to Washington’s description of the Golden Dome as a defensive measure, the system could easily be converted into an offensive missile platform capable of launching attacks at any time.

It further argued that the United States’ continued push for trilateral military cooperation with South Korea and Japan under the new administration, as well as for an integrated missile defense network, has a clear intent.

“The hegemonic power is brutally and selfishly scheming to use its follower states as cannon fodder and bullet shields to pursue its own interests, even at the cost of their safety,” the institution said.

“We resolutely oppose the United States’ criminal ambition to use outer space for hegemonic purposes,” the statement continued. “We will continue to exercise our sovereign right to defend our strategic security interests and ensure regional peace and security.”

The Golden Dome is a next-generation U.S. missile defense system modeled after Israel’s Iron Dome. Trump signed an executive order on Jan. 27 to establish the Golden Dome in the United States and announced on May 20 that it would be deployed during his term.

BY LEE JI-YOUNG [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr]