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'The DPRK Will Have No Option But To Build Up A Nuclear Deterrent Force': North Korean Statement, June 9

'KCNA on DPRK's nuclear deterrent force', statement issued by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Pyongyang, June 9; KCNA website, http://www.kcna.co.jp.

The Bush government is escalating its moves to isolate and stifle the DPRK. As already reported, [at the DPRK-US-China talks in Beijing in April this year] the DPRK put forward a bold proposal for smoothly solving all issues at the DPRK-US talks with a view to fundamentally settling the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsular. ... But the Bush administration is adamantly insisting on multilateral talks while uttering extremely provocative words about "further steps" and "stronger measures". Such attitude of the US only more saliently reveals the sinister design of the Bush administration to dramatise the DPRK's "nuclear threat" before the world community as much as possible and tgus make it stand further isolated politically and diplomatically.

It is a universally known fact that the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsular is a product of the US hostile policy toward the DPRK in every sense. This issue surfaced on the Korean peninsular because successive US regimes have pursued this hostile policy towards the DPRK and threatened it with nukes. Therefore, the only way of settling it is for the United States - chiefly responsible for the issue - to seek a reasonable solution through bilateral talks with the DPRK.

The DPRK has already clarified its stand that DPRK-US talks should be held, to be followed by the US-proposed multilateral talks. The US attitude of insisting only on "multilateral talks" while avoiding the DPRK-US bilateral talks despite the DPRK's magnanimous stand only indicates the will of the Bush administration not to drop its hostile policy toward the DPRK.

The DPRK has no intention to have a nuclear deterrent force without any reason, quite contrary to Washington's noisy propaganda. The DPRK is willing to clear up the US concern as regards the nuclear issue if it drops its hostile policy towards Pyongyang and addresses its concern. But if the US keeps threatening the DPRK with nukes instead of abandoning its hostile policy toward Pyongyang, the DPRK will have no option but to build up a nuclear deterrent force.

The DPRK's intention to build up a nuclear deterrent force is not aimed to threaten or blackmail others but [rather to] reduce conventional weapons under a long-term plan and channel manpower resources and funds into economic construction and the betterment of people's living.

The DPRK will build up a powerful physical deterrent force, capable of neutralising any sophisticated [conventional] and nuclear weapons with less spending, unless the US gives up its hostile policy towards the DPRK. Now that the DPRK is no longer bound to the safeguards accord with the International Atomic Energy Agency after its withdrawal from the NPT, the DPRK has the same legal status as the United States and other countries possessing nuclear weapons not bound to international law, as far as the issue of nuclear deterrent force is concerned.

The Bush administration should clearly know that it is good for its future for the United States to opt for completely dropping its hostile policy toward the DPRK, instead of spreading the rumour about the "threat" of its nuclear deterrent force.

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© 2003 The Acronym Institute.