The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Friday denounced the aggressive threat from the US, vowing to increase its defense capabilities.

"The DPRK has firmly defended socialism in face of constant high-handed military blackmail and aggressive threat by the US imperialists for decades," said a signed article carried by the leading official newspaper Rodong Sinmun.

The newspaper stressed that "small countries in particular, should direct great efforts to increasing defense capabilities."

"It was entirely right for the DPRK to have boosted its self-reliant defense capabilities in every way," it added.

Also on Friday, the DPRK's Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland accused the US of hastily dispatching a group of battleships into South Korea and the commander of the US forces in South Korea of vociferously crying out for a war of aggression against the DPRK, according to a report by the Korean Central News Agency.

"This is an extremely dangerous military provocation intended to drive the situation on the Korean Peninsula to the brink of war," the committee said in a statement.

Earlier this month, the DPRK test-fired seven missiles, the DPRK Foreign Ministry confirmed in a statement on July 6.

On July 15, the UN Security Council unanimously approved a resolution on DPRK missile tests, strongly urging the DPRK to return immediately to the six-party talks without precondition, abandon all nuclear-related weapons and programs and return to the Treaty on Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards.

(Xinhua News Agency July 22, 2006)