• Military

• WMD Menu                           

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

DPRK Not to Allow U.S. to Take out Equipment before Its Payment of Penalty

KCNA

    Pyongyang, November 11 (KCNA) --A spokesman for the DPRK Foreign Ministry today gave the following answer to a question raised by KCNA as regards the U.S. attempt to raise a new problem, taking issue with the step taken by the DPRK against the U.S. decision to suspend the construction of light water reactors (LWR): As already reported, we clarified the stand not to allow the U.S. and the Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization (KEDO) to take out any equipment, facilities and materials for the LWR construction and technical documents in the Kumho area before compensating for the losses caused by them to us as the U.S. made KEDO to decide on suspending the LWR construction shortly ago.
    This pertains to our legitimate right we can exercise against the U.S. which has systematically violated the DPRK-U.S. Agreed Framework (AF).
    This notwithstanding, the U.S. is far-fetchedly insisting that it be allowed to take out the equipment, once again trying to create the impression that the DPRK is to blame for the collapse of the AF.
    The suspended LWR construction is a direct product of the Bush administration's hostile policy toward the DPRK.
    As soon as the Bush administration came to power it listed our country as part of an "axis of evil" and a target of a preemptive nuclear attack and has since expressed inveterate rejection of our system. In October 2002 it openly threatened and pressurized the DPRK, groundlessly asserting that it was pushing ahead with its "enriched uranium program" for the manufacture of nuclear weapons in violation of the AF.
    As we have clarified more than once, we only explicitly told the U.S. special envoy that the DPRK is entitled to have not only nuclear weapons but something more powerful than those weapons in order to protect its sovereignty from the increasing U.S. threat to stifle it with nukes. We have never admitted to having any "enriched uranium program" so far advertised by the U.S.
    However, the U.S. has obstinately spread the story about the "for enriched uranium program." And under that pretext it suspended the supply of heavy fuel oil and put a stop to the construction of light water reactors in a bid to deprive the DPRK of a nuclear power industry for a peaceful use. All the facts make clear who is to blame for the complete abrogation of the DPRK-U.S. agreed framework and what caused it.
    The U.S. is now talking about the obligation of someone under the protocol on taking in and out facilities, equipment and materials for the construction of light water reactors.
    But if the protocol is likened to a twig, our demand is like a main trunk as its is line with the AF and the agreement on the provision of light water reactors.
    It is meaningless to talk about a twig minus a trunk.
    As a party to the AF and the agreement we are to settle all the ensuing matters with the U.S. the party concerned only.
    The U.S., which represents KEDO, is obliged to fully compensate for the huge loss of electricity inflicted upon the DPRK by its deliberate delay and total stop of the LWR construction.
    The U.S. should pay damages for the breach of contract without delay according to the relevant article of the agreement on the provision of light water reactors.
    As already clarified, we will never allow the U.S. to take out facilities, equipment and materials for the LWR construction and technical documents now in the Kumho area unless the U.S. pays a penalty.
    As our measure has nothing to do with sub-contractors participating in the LWR construction, the U.S. should compensate for all the ensuing financial and material losses.