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Pyongyang accuses US of ‘biological warfare’ plot

North Korea’s Ambassador to the UN Ja Song Nam

North Korea has accused the United States of trying to use “biological warfare schemes” against Pyongyang, calling on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to investigate the issue.

North Korea’s Ambassador to the UN Ja Song Nam made the allegations in a letter to the UNSC and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, which was made public on Friday.

"The United States not only possesses deadly weapons of mass destruction ... but also is attempting to use them in actual warfare against” Pyongyang, the letter read.

It further went on to criticize Washington “for its genocidal acts against humanity,” urging the Security Council to “take up the issue of the shipment of anthrax germs in order to thoroughly investigate the biological warfare schemes of the United States."

The letter also included an attached statement from North Korea's National Defense Commission, accusing the US of a "hideous crime aimed at genocide."

US State Department Spokesman Jeff Rathke, however, claimed that the accusations were “ridiculous” and did not “merit a response.”

In late May, US officials disclosed that samples of live anthrax were sent by a Defense Department laboratory to labs in 19 US states as well as four countries, including Australia, Canada, South Korea and Britain. 

Commander Franca Jones, the director of medical programs for the Pentagon's chemical and biological defense programs, demonstrates the protocol for shipping anthrax samples during a news briefing at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, June 3, 2015. (© AFP)

 

Earlier this week, the Pentagon added Japan to its list of nations that received the deadly anthrax bacteria, which can be used as a biological weapon.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is conducting a probe into the case.

North Korea has been targeted by a series of sanctions imposed by the US and the UN over its missile and nuclear tests.

Pyongyang, however, says its numerous missile tests are not provocative “rehearsal for invasion,” but rather a move to boost defense capabilities in the face of enemy threats.

North Korea accuses Washington of plotting with regional allies to topple its government. It has repeatedly denounced the US military presence in South Korea, saying it constitutes a provocation.

SSM/NN/HRB


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