N. Korea blasts Obama, vows to bolster nuclear force

(ATTN: RECASTS headline, lead, UPDATES with N.K.'s English statement, expert's quote)
By Kim Hyun
SEOUL, May 8 (Yonhap) -- North Korea blasted the Barack Obama administration for
being "hostile" toward it and vowed to bolster its nuclear deterrent, as a U.S.
envoy on Pyongyang was due in Seoul on Friday.

"The study of the policy pursued by the Obama administration for the past 100
days since its emergence made it clear that the U.S. hostile policy toward the
DPRK remains unchanged," the country's foreign ministry spokesman told the
official Korean Central News Agency.
The unidentified spokesman cited past remarks by Obama, who called North Korea's
April 5 rocket launch "a challenge" and "provocation" and pushed for "proper
punishment" by the U.N. Security Council for it. He also blasted U.S. Secretary
of State Hillary Clinton for dubbing North Korea as a "tyrannical" and "rogue
regime."
Pyongyang renewed its criticism of the Obama administration as Stephen Bosworth,
U.S. special representative for North Korea policy, was to arrive in Seoul in the
afternoon for discussions on ways to reactivate stalled denuclearization talks.
In Beijing, the first stop in his nine-day tour of Northeast Asia and Russia,
Bosworth reaffirmed that Washington is willing to engage in both multilateral and
bilateral talks with Pyongyang to break the stalemate.
"The United States reiterates its desire to engage both multilaterally and
bilaterally with North Korea and we believe very strongly that the solution to
the tensions and problems of the area now lies best in dialogue and negotiation,"
he told reporters after meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi and
Vice Foreign Minister Wu Dawei on Thursday night.
North Korea said there is no use in trying to talk with the U.S. and that it will
bolster its nuclear force as long as Washington does not shift from its "hostile"
policy.
"Nothing would be expected from the U.S. which remains unchanged in its hostility
toward its dialogue partner," the spokesman said.
"The measures taken by the DPRK (North Korea) recently to bolster its national
defense capability are aimed not to draw attention of someone and have dialogue
with it," he said. "The DPRK will bolster its nuclear deterrent as it has already
clarified."
North Korea warned last week it will conduct a second nuclear test as well as
inter-continental ballistic missile tests unless the U.N. Security Council
apologizes for rebuking its April rocket launch.
Pyongyang says the launch has successfully orbited a peaceful satellite. South
Korea, the U.S. and Japan view it as a disguised long-range missile test.
North Korea appeared to have timed its latest message with Bosworth's visit, said
Yang Moo-jin, a professor with the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul.
"North Korea is telling Bosworth, 'We won't move the slightest bit as long as the
U.S. keeps its current policy. If you want to talk with us, show us some
change,'" Yang said.
hkim@yna.co.kr
(END)