PYONGYANG, Feb. 19 (Xinhuanet) -- The Democratic People's Republicof Korea (DPRK) Thursday demanded that Israel should immediately stop the construction of its West Bank security barrier.

    The barrier, being erected under the pretext of combating terrorism, is an "illegal act" of intrusion into Palestinian territory, a spokesman for the DPRK Foreign Ministry told the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). The act seriously violates the Palestinians' right to exist, he said.

    The barrier, part fence and part wall, is planned to cut deep into West Bank territory captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East War. Israel claims the barrier is a defense against suicide bombers.

    "Israel's large-scale construction of the security barrier...isa serious issue in the dispute between Arab countries and Israel, causing concern not only among countries in the region but the rest of the world," said the spokesman.

    The DPRK supports the initiative of Palestine and other Arab countries to bring this issue to the International Court of Justice, he added. Enditem