Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

DPRK Stand to Contribute to Peace and Security in Asia Clarified

Korean Central News Agency of DPRK via Korea News Service (KNS)

  Tehran, November 15 (KCNA) -- The parliamentarians representing the voices of the Asian people, aware of the sense of responsibility as the master of the continent, should thoroughly reject the moves of the hegemonic forces to stamp out the history, culture and tradition of Asia, place the common denominators above their differences and demonstrate the united strength of the region in one voice in the international arena under the slogan of solidarity, peace and justice of Asia. Choe Thae Bok, chairman of the Supreme People's Assembly of the DPRK, who is leading the delegation of the DPRK to the 7th Assembly of the Association of Asian Parliaments for Peace held in Iran, declared this in a speech at its plenary meeting on Nov. 13. He said:
    The struggle of the Korean people to achieve the reunification and denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula is now facing a grave challenge.
    The Bush administration, in particular, openly listed the DPRK as part of an "axis of evil" and a target of preemptive nuclear attack and has since escalated the threat and pressure upon the DPRK such as staging nuclear war exercises and imposing financial sanctions against it, bringing to light an attempt to bring down its social system.
    Under the extremely tense situation where the supreme interests and security of the DPRK were seriously threatened it successfully conducted on Oct. 9 an underground nuclear test under secure conditions as an exercise of its sovereign right to self-defence to cope with the U.S. nuclear threat, sanctions and pressure.
    The DPRK will surely force the Bush administration to own its historic responsibility for having torpedoed the process of denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula.
    It remains unchanged in its stand to peacefully realize the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula through dialogue and negotiation though it was compelled to conduct the nuclear test by the U.S.
    As the DPRK has already clarified, its nuclear weapons are war deterrent for self-defence to cope with the U.S. nuclear threat and sanctions which have reached an extreme phase and it will feel no need to keep even a single nuke if the U.S. ceases its nuclear threat and sanctions against the DPRK in a verifiable and trustworthy manner. Availing ourselves of this opportunity, we express thanks to the Asian people who sent support and solidarity to our people in their struggle for the peace, reunification and denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and believe that the invariable will of the DPRK for the denuclearization and the independent option of its people to protect the supreme interests of the state will receive well-deserved respect.
    We will as always unite close with the Asian people and make a positive contribution to peace, security, independent development and prosperity of Asia.