North Korea Condemns Germany's Participation in U.N. Command

North Korea has criticized Germany's involvement in a U.S.-led U.N. border monitoring force on the Korean peninsula, claiming it would escalate tensions. Berlin joined the United Nations Command, which oversees the South-North Korea border, last week. Germany argues the move highlights the link between European and Indo-Pacific security.

North Korea has voiced strong opposition to Germany's entry into the U.S.-led U.N. border monitoring force on the Korean peninsula, asserting that the move will increase regional tensions, as per state news agency KCNA.

Last Friday, Germany, a steadfast ally of the United States, became the most recent member of the United Nations Command, an entity tasked with overseeing the heavily militarized border between South Korea and North Korea. The Command has pledged to defend South Korea in the event of conflict. A North Korean foreign ministry spokesperson accused the U.S. of reviving the U.N. Command's function to establish an Asian equivalent of NATO.

German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius emphasized that the decision underscores Berlin's firm belief in the closely intertwined security concerns of Europe and the Indo-Pacific. However, the North Korean ministry warned that Germany's participation in the UNC would exacerbate the military and political situation on the Korean peninsula and its environs, placing the onus of any fallout on Germany.

(With inputs from agencies.)