ID :
43164
Thu, 01/29/2009 - 18:13
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/43164
The shortlink copeid
N. Korea Says U.S. Preparing for War with New Fighters in S. Korea
SEOUL (Yonhap) -- North Korea vowed to retain its nuclear weapons on Jan. 22 and accused the United States of preparing for a preemptive nuclear strike by deploying new fighters and spy planes to South Korea.
Pyongyang routinely criticizes the U.S. military stationed in South Korea and
says it is compelled to keep nuclear weapons as a deterrent.
The U.S. military plans to replace half of its tank-fighting Apache helicopters
in South Korea with F-16 multi-role fighters in March. The Apaches are expected
be redeployed to Iraq and Afghanistan.
The North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said the fighter jets and
other weapons set to be deployed to the Asia-Pacific region, such as the U-2
reconnaissance plane, are evidence of an increasing nuclear threat from the U.S.
"It is an absolutely unpardonable crime for the U.S. to get frantic with arms
buildup for aggression aimed at a preemptive nuclear strike at its dialogue
partner behind the scene while paying lip-service to dialogue and the like," the
KCNA said.
Such criticism is not new, but the latest comments may have added significance as
they come just days after the inauguration of U.S. President Barack Obama.
Analysts say Pyongyang may be trying to draw Obama's attention with its recent
rash of commentaries saying it intends to keep its nuclear weapons.
The KCNA said Washington is "misleading the public opinion" by asserting that
Pyongyang's nuclear drive is to blame for military tension on the Korean
Peninsula.
"The DPRK (North Korea) will never do such thing (denuclearization) first unless
the U.S. rolls back its hostile policy toward the DPRK and fundamentally removes
its nuclear threat to the latter," it said.
------------------------
N. Korea Clue to Tackling Global Nuclear Threat: Report
SEOUL (Yonhap) -- North Korea could prove to be the first clue to resolving
global nuclear threats for the new Barack Obama administration if Washington acts
swiftly, a pro-Pyongyang newspaper in Japan said on Jan. 22.
Quoting a pledge Obama made during his inaugural speech to "lessen the nuclear
threat," the daily Choson Sinbo that usually conveys Pyongyang's views said
denuclearization of North Korea is not a difficult task.
"The nuclear threat on the Korean Peninsula will be removed and the goal of
putting the brakes on nuclear proliferation around the world will be realized
should the Obama administration actively respond to North Korea's calls," the
commentary said.
Days before the U.S. inauguration, North Korea said that it would retain its
nuclear weapons as long as it felt threatened by U.S. military forces stationed
in South Korea. Turning to Seoul, North Korea vowed to take "an all-out
confrontational posture," threatening to provoke a naval clash along the western
sea border.
Such military threats, analysts say, reflect Pyongyang's attempt to grab
Washington's attention in the hopes of improving bilateral relations and pushing
a stalled aid-for-denuclearization deal forward.
Choson Sinbo called on Obama to depart from "antiquated policy," an apparent
reference to his predecessor George W. Bush, while recounting reconciliatory
exchanges in the Bill Clinton era like the North Korean special envoy's visit to
the White House in 2000 to arrange a summit betwween the nation's leaders which
never took place.
The daily said Obama "needs to adopt realistic and swift measures in order to
avoid adding any more tough diplomatic tasks to what he is already facing... The
nuclear issue of the Korean Peninsula can provide a clue to actualizing Obama's
foreign policy," the commentary said.
------------------------
North Korea Renews Claim to Nuclear Status
SEOUL (Yonhap) -- North Korea's state news agency said on Jan. 23 that the U.S.
military recognizes North Korea as a nuclear state, renewing Pyongyang's claim to
membership in the nuclear weapons club ahead of expected negotiations with
Washington.
North Korea has insisted that it be recognized as a nuclear state following a
nuclear weapons test in 2006. Regional powers, including the United States and
Russia, have so far denied Pyongyang's claims.
The North's state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said that a special U.S.
Department of Defense investigations committee for nuclear weapons management
"recently made public a report designating the DPRK (North Korea) as a nuclear
weapons state."
"The report said that the DPRK has not only several nuclear weapons but a missile
system capable of delivering them," the KCNA added.
It is a general view of the international media, the KCNA continued, that the
Pentagon has "put the DPRK in the same category as that of India and Pakistan
recognized as unofficial nuclear weapons states."
The North's media have repeatedly echoed U.S. military officials' remarks and
reported on documents on Pyongyang's nuclear weapons.
In the latest such remarks, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said in a
contribution to the January-February edition of the journal Foreign Affairs that
"North Korea has built several bombs, and Iran seeks to join the nuclear club."
U.S. President Barack Obama acknowledged on the campaign trail that the North had
up to eight nuclear weapons.
Russia's ambassador to South Korea, Glev Ivashendsov, said in a Seoul forum this
week that Moscow does not acknowledge North Korea as a nuclear power.
------------------------
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Visits North Korea
SEOUL (Yonhap) -- A Russian foreign ministry delegation led by its deputy foreign
minister arrived in North Korea on Jan. 27, the North's state media reported.
The delegation led by Alexei Borodavkin visited Pyongyang, the (North) Korean
Central News Agency (KCNA) said, stopping short of elaborating on detailed plans.
The KCNA also did not report whether the delegation will meet North Korean leader
Kim Jong-il during its four-day visit.
Borodavkin represents Russia at the six-party talks on the nuclear disarmament of
North Korea. The talks also include South Korea, the United States, Japan and
China.
The six-party process hit a snag in the latest round of talks last month as
Pyongyang refused to agree to a verification protocol for its nuclear facilities.
(END)
Pyongyang routinely criticizes the U.S. military stationed in South Korea and
says it is compelled to keep nuclear weapons as a deterrent.
The U.S. military plans to replace half of its tank-fighting Apache helicopters
in South Korea with F-16 multi-role fighters in March. The Apaches are expected
be redeployed to Iraq and Afghanistan.
The North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said the fighter jets and
other weapons set to be deployed to the Asia-Pacific region, such as the U-2
reconnaissance plane, are evidence of an increasing nuclear threat from the U.S.
"It is an absolutely unpardonable crime for the U.S. to get frantic with arms
buildup for aggression aimed at a preemptive nuclear strike at its dialogue
partner behind the scene while paying lip-service to dialogue and the like," the
KCNA said.
Such criticism is not new, but the latest comments may have added significance as
they come just days after the inauguration of U.S. President Barack Obama.
Analysts say Pyongyang may be trying to draw Obama's attention with its recent
rash of commentaries saying it intends to keep its nuclear weapons.
The KCNA said Washington is "misleading the public opinion" by asserting that
Pyongyang's nuclear drive is to blame for military tension on the Korean
Peninsula.
"The DPRK (North Korea) will never do such thing (denuclearization) first unless
the U.S. rolls back its hostile policy toward the DPRK and fundamentally removes
its nuclear threat to the latter," it said.
------------------------
N. Korea Clue to Tackling Global Nuclear Threat: Report
SEOUL (Yonhap) -- North Korea could prove to be the first clue to resolving
global nuclear threats for the new Barack Obama administration if Washington acts
swiftly, a pro-Pyongyang newspaper in Japan said on Jan. 22.
Quoting a pledge Obama made during his inaugural speech to "lessen the nuclear
threat," the daily Choson Sinbo that usually conveys Pyongyang's views said
denuclearization of North Korea is not a difficult task.
"The nuclear threat on the Korean Peninsula will be removed and the goal of
putting the brakes on nuclear proliferation around the world will be realized
should the Obama administration actively respond to North Korea's calls," the
commentary said.
Days before the U.S. inauguration, North Korea said that it would retain its
nuclear weapons as long as it felt threatened by U.S. military forces stationed
in South Korea. Turning to Seoul, North Korea vowed to take "an all-out
confrontational posture," threatening to provoke a naval clash along the western
sea border.
Such military threats, analysts say, reflect Pyongyang's attempt to grab
Washington's attention in the hopes of improving bilateral relations and pushing
a stalled aid-for-denuclearization deal forward.
Choson Sinbo called on Obama to depart from "antiquated policy," an apparent
reference to his predecessor George W. Bush, while recounting reconciliatory
exchanges in the Bill Clinton era like the North Korean special envoy's visit to
the White House in 2000 to arrange a summit betwween the nation's leaders which
never took place.
The daily said Obama "needs to adopt realistic and swift measures in order to
avoid adding any more tough diplomatic tasks to what he is already facing... The
nuclear issue of the Korean Peninsula can provide a clue to actualizing Obama's
foreign policy," the commentary said.
------------------------
North Korea Renews Claim to Nuclear Status
SEOUL (Yonhap) -- North Korea's state news agency said on Jan. 23 that the U.S.
military recognizes North Korea as a nuclear state, renewing Pyongyang's claim to
membership in the nuclear weapons club ahead of expected negotiations with
Washington.
North Korea has insisted that it be recognized as a nuclear state following a
nuclear weapons test in 2006. Regional powers, including the United States and
Russia, have so far denied Pyongyang's claims.
The North's state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said that a special U.S.
Department of Defense investigations committee for nuclear weapons management
"recently made public a report designating the DPRK (North Korea) as a nuclear
weapons state."
"The report said that the DPRK has not only several nuclear weapons but a missile
system capable of delivering them," the KCNA added.
It is a general view of the international media, the KCNA continued, that the
Pentagon has "put the DPRK in the same category as that of India and Pakistan
recognized as unofficial nuclear weapons states."
The North's media have repeatedly echoed U.S. military officials' remarks and
reported on documents on Pyongyang's nuclear weapons.
In the latest such remarks, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said in a
contribution to the January-February edition of the journal Foreign Affairs that
"North Korea has built several bombs, and Iran seeks to join the nuclear club."
U.S. President Barack Obama acknowledged on the campaign trail that the North had
up to eight nuclear weapons.
Russia's ambassador to South Korea, Glev Ivashendsov, said in a Seoul forum this
week that Moscow does not acknowledge North Korea as a nuclear power.
------------------------
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Visits North Korea
SEOUL (Yonhap) -- A Russian foreign ministry delegation led by its deputy foreign
minister arrived in North Korea on Jan. 27, the North's state media reported.
The delegation led by Alexei Borodavkin visited Pyongyang, the (North) Korean
Central News Agency (KCNA) said, stopping short of elaborating on detailed plans.
The KCNA also did not report whether the delegation will meet North Korean leader
Kim Jong-il during its four-day visit.
Borodavkin represents Russia at the six-party talks on the nuclear disarmament of
North Korea. The talks also include South Korea, the United States, Japan and
China.
The six-party process hit a snag in the latest round of talks last month as
Pyongyang refused to agree to a verification protocol for its nuclear facilities.
(END)
