North Korea says US 'Golden Dome' missile defence system risks nuclear war in space
Pyongyang's warning comes a week after US President Donald Trump gave more information about the initiative.
North Korea has hit out at US President Donald Trump’s “Golden Dome” missile defence programme, calling it a “very dangerous” initiative that could threaten war in space. Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has prioritised the scheme, which aims to defend the US against aerial threats like ballistic and cruise missiles. If it goes ahead, it is likely to include sensors and interceptors in space. “Once fully constructed, the Golden Dome will be capable of intercepting missiles even if they are launched from other sides of the world and even if they are launched from space, and we will have the best system ever built,” Trump said last week. In response, the North Korean Foreign Ministry released a memorandum accusing the US of being “hell-bent” on militarising space. It warned that Trump’s plan risked “turning outer space into a potential nuclear war field”, according to the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). The criticism echoed the language used by China on Wednesday, when a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said the US programme “heightens the risk of space becoming a battlefield, fuels an arms race and undermines international security”. “We urge the United States to abandon the development and deployment of a global missile defence system as soon as possible,” the spokesperson added. Trump has stressed the need for the US to increase its defensive capabilities in light of threats from its adversaries. The US president has suggested that the Golden Dome programme could be operational by the end of his term in 2029. However, experts have said the initiative could take years to complete. There are also concerns about the cost of such a venture. While Trump claimed the whole project would cost $175 billion (€154bn), the Congressional Budget Office said this month that just the space-based components of the Golden Dome could set the country back $542bn (€478bn) over the next two decades.