SEOUL - North Korea criticised the Group of Seven (G-7) countries as a “remnant of the Cold War” that causes conflicts for their own interests and violates other countries’ sovereignty, its state media KCNA said on Tuesday.

Mr Jo Chol Su, director-general of the Department of International Organisations at Pyongyang’s Foreign Ministry, condemned G-7 foreign ministers for “slandering” the country’s exercise of “self-defensive and legitimate sovereignty” in a joint statement following a meeting last week in Tokyo.

The joint statement by the G-7 called for humanitarian pauses in the Israel-Hamas war, reaffirmed support for Ukraine in its war with Russia, and condemned North Korea’s missile tests and arms transfers to Russia.

“G-7, which has caused and fomented the recent international crisis, says this or that to find fault with independent sovereign states,” Mr Jo said, according to KCNA.

“G-7 is just the main dangerous source of destroying global peace and security and the main stumbling block to the establishment of a just international order.”

The group cannot represent the international community but protects a few countries’ interests, Mr Jo said, singling out the United States as a supplier of deadly weapons to Ukraine to “deliberately destroy peace and stability” in Europe.

Mr Jo also accused Washington of “conniving at and fomenting” military strikes at Gaza while “shielding Israel’s hideous massacre of civilians”.

“It has lost the justification for its existence,” Mr Jo said.

“G-7, the remnant of the Cold War, should be dismantled immediately, and this will be the first step toward defusing the present international crisis and restoring global peace.”

The North Korean statement coincides with South Korea hosting representatives of 17 member states of the United Nations Command enforcing the Korean War armistice.

The talks on Tuesday were expected to renew a pledge to respond to any aggression by North Korea. REUTERS