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Minister - N Korea Has
Nuclear Weapons

By Edith M. Lederer
Associated Press Writer
9-28-4
 
UNITED NATIONS -- North Korea has turned plutonium from 8,000 spent nuclear fuel rods into weapons to serve as a deterrent against a possible nuclear strike by the United States, a North Korean minister said Monday.
Warning that the danger of war on the Korean peninsula "is snowballing," Vice Foreign Minister Choe Su Hon blamed the United States for intensifying threats to attack the communist nation and destroying the basis for negotiations to resolve the dispute over Pyongyang's nuclear program.
 
Without specifying what kinds or the number of weapons it has, Choe said North Korea has been left with "no other option but to possess a nuclear deterrent" because of U.S. policies that he claimed were designed to "eliminate the DPRK by force while designating it as part of an `axis of evil' and a target of pre-emptive nuclear strikes."
DPRK stands for Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the North's official name.
 
When asked if the fuel had been turned into actual weapons, not just weapons-grade material, Choe said: "We declared that we weaponized this."
 
In Washington, a State Department official noted that the administration has long believed North Korea has at least one or two nuclear weapons. The official, who asked not to be identified, also said the North Koreans have made conflicting statements about how far along their weapons development programs have come.
 
But Choe told the U.N. General Assembly that North Korea is still ready to dismantle its nuclear program if Washington abandons its "hostile policy" and is prepared to coexist peacefully.
 
At the moment, however, he said "the ever intensifying U.S. hostile policy and the clandestine nuclear-related experiments recently revealed in South Korea are constituting big stumbling blocks" and make it impossible for North Korea to participate in the continuation of six-nation talks on its nuclear program.
 
A State Department official said North Korea should take part in six-the party discussions and noted that Secretary of State Colin Powell has said repeatedly that the United States has no plans to attack that country.
 
At a press conference afterward with reporters, the North Korean foreign minister was asked what was included in the nuclear deterrent.
 
"We have already made clear that we have already reprocessed 8,000 wasted fuel rods and transformed them into arms," he said.
North Korea said earlier this year that it had reprocessed the spent nuclear fuel rods and was increasing its "nuclear deterrent" but had not provided any details.
 
South Korean Deputy Foreign Minister Lee Soo-hyuck said in late April that it was estimated that eight nuclear bombs could be made if all 8,000 spent nuclear fuel rods were reprocessed. Before the reprocessing, South Korea said it believed the North has enough nuclear material to build one or two nuclear bombs.
 
The crisis erupted in 2002 when the United States accused North Korea of running a secret nuclear weapons program. The United States, the two Koreas, Japan, China and Russia since have held three rounds of talks on curbing the North's nuclear ambitions but have produced no breakthroughs.
 
Choe said the "truth" of South Korea's nuclear experiments had to be clarified if the talks were to resume.
 
South Korea has disclosed that it conducted a plutonium-based nuclear experiment more than 20 years ago and a uranium-enrichment experiment in 2000. It denied having any weapons ambitions; an investigation by the International Atomic Energy Agency is under way.
 
Choe told reporters that North Korea wants an explanation because Pyongyang believes it is impossible that such experiments took place "without U.S. technology and U.S. approval."
 
North Korea and South Korea have been divided since before the Korean War. Choe reiterated that Pyongyang's goal remains the peaceful reunification of the countries.
 
But he accused U.S. "unilateralism and high-handedness" of trying to sabotage reunification and charged that Washington is deploying sophisticated war equipment targeting North Korea.
 
"On the Korean peninsula ... the danger of war is snowballing owing to the U.S. extreme moves to isolate and stile the DPRK and threats of preemptive strikes against it," Choe said.
 
The State Department official noted that Secretary of State Colin Powell has said repeatedly that the United States has no plans to attack North Korea.
 
At the third round of talks in June, the United States proposed that the North disclose all its nuclear activities, help to dismantle facilities and allow outside monitoring. Under the plan, some benefits would be withheld to ensure the North cooperates.
 
North Korea said it would never scrap its nuclear programs first and wait to get rewarded later. Instead, it insisted on "reward for freeze."
 
Choe told the General Assembly North Korea's proposal was aimed at building "mutual confidence" and a freeze would be "the first step toward eventual dismantlement of our nuclear program." But he said the dispute must be solved step-by-step.
 
A freeze will be followed by "objective verification," he said, telling reporters that the way to do this would be discussed later.
Choe indicated there was a chance for revival of the talks.
 
"If the United States has the will to co-exist peacefully with the DPRK by abandoning its hostile policy on the DPRK, the nuclear issue will be resolved properly," he said.
 
Copyright © 2004, The Associated Press
 

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