North Korea decried a United States-Japan missile deal, saying it added “strategic instability” to the region.

During a visit to Tokyo on Sunday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth agreed with Japanese officials to accelerate the development of the AIM-120 air-to-air missile system. The North Korean state news agency KCNA quoted an unnamed vice general director in the country’s defense ministry who said the development served as a provocation because the system could be used in a preemptive strike.