North Korea lambasts Trump's 'Golden Dome' plan

Pyongyang: North Korea denounced US President Donald Trump's "Golden Dome" missile shield plan, calling it a "very dangerous" threat that will weaponise space, state media reported on Tuesday.

North Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a memorandum calling the system "a very dangerous threatening initiative aimed at threatening the strategic security of the nuclear weapons states," the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.

The memorandum by Pyongyang accused the United States of being "hell-bent on the moves to militarise outer space," KCNA said.

"The U.S. plan for building a new missile defense system is the root cause of sparking off a global nuclear and space arms race by stimulating the security concerns of nuclear weapons states and turning the outer space into a potential nuclear war field," the memorandum said.

The plan announced by Donald Trump aims to utilise the network of satellites revolving around the Earth with sophisticated sensors and interceptors, and use it to intercept and neutralise incoming enemy missiles after they are launched from countries like China, Iran, North Korea or Russia.

Trump, on May 20, said he had selected a design for the Golden Dome missile defense system and named a Space Force general to take charge of the ambitious $175 billion (€154 billion) programme.

While announcing new details and the funding for the plan, he called it "very important for the success and even survival of our country."

According to experts, the plan faces a significant political and technical challenge and could come at a heavy cost.

In addition to North Korea, China and Russia have also expressed their concerns regarding Trump's Golden Dome plan.

China accused the US of undermining global stability through the program.

Meanwhile, Russia, which had earlier said Trump's initiative would require consultations with Russia, later toned down its criticism.