NATO infiltrating Asia: North Korea

The DPRK has slammed Tokyo's plans to open the first Asia-based liaison office for the US-led military bloc, citing growing "military collusion" with Japan. An official with the Foreign Ministry's Japan Research Center said Washington is gradually pushing NATO into Asia through partnerships with regional powers. The office would be used to conduct periodic consultations with Japan and key partners in the region. Japan hosted a delegation from NATO to discuss military cooperation and future joint drills. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida vowed to further strengthen their partnership. Kim argued that NATO's overtures to countries like Japan and South Korea are part of plans to "build an anti-China and anti-Russia encirclement".