Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

At UN debate, DPR Korea accuses United States of encouraging nuclear tensions

26 September 2006 – The United States is promoting tensions on the Korean peninsula to justify its desire to strengthen its military presence in the region, the Chairman of the Delegation from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) told the United Nations General Assembly today.

Choe Su Hon said “it is crystal clear” that Washington does not support either the denuclearization of the peninsula or the Six-Party Talks between the two Koreas, China, Japan, Russia and the US.

“The US policy towards the DPRK has gone further beyond the mere hostility, so far as to pose nuclear threats even by designating it as part of an ‘axis of evil’ and target of pre-emptive strikes, thus driving the DPRK to inevitably possess nuclear deterrent after all,” he said.

Mr. Choe said the US had created the current impasse in the Six-Party Talks by scrapping an already agreed itinerary for the next round of discussions and by imposing financial sanctions on the DPRK.

“If there is anything that the United States is in favour of, that is the aggravated tension on the Korean peninsula to be used as a pretext for reinforcing its military forces in the North-East Asian region.”

He added that Pyongyang is committed to solving the nuclear issue peacefully through dialogue and negotiations, and that it possesses a deterrent nuclear power, “solely for self-defence.”

Mr. Choe also said Japan should not be given a permanent seat on the Security Council because of its record during World War II and the fact that since then it “has been distorting its aggressive history instead of liquidating it.”