PYONGYANG, April 24 (Xinhua) -- Kim Yong-chun, the chief of the General Staff of the Korean People's Army (KPA), warned on Monday that Pyongyang would deliver the toughest response to any provocation by the United States.

    Kim made the declaration in a report made at the ceremony of the 74th anniversary of the KPA, according to the official Korean Central News Agency.

    "We will consistently react to the U.S. imperialists' hardline policy with the toughest stance and never allow them to dare provoke the dignified DPRK," Kim said.

    "If they ignite a new war despite our repeated warnings, the DPRK will mobilize all [available forces] to wipe out them to the last one," he said.

    In the 2006 Quadrennial Defense Review released by Pentagon, the U.S. said it had to maintain a clear and strong deterrent force in East Asia to cope with alleged challenges such as the proliferation of "weapons of mass destruction" by the DPRK. Enditem