DNA

LONDON: North Korea has condemned a new security pact between the US, UK and Australia, saying it could trigger a “nuclear arms race”.

A Foreign Ministry official said the Aukus deal would “upset the strategic balance in the Asia-Pacific region”.The deal will see the US and UK give Australia the technology to build nuclear-powered submarines.

It is being widely viewed as an effort to counter China’s influence in the contested South China Sea.

The Aukus pact was announced last week and will also cover cruise missiles, Artificial Intelligence and other technologies.”These are extremely undesirable and dangerous acts which will upset the strategic balance in the Asia-Pacific region and trigger off a chain of nuclear arms race,” said a DPRK Foreign Ministry official referring to the security agreement.