NKorea: Missile, nuclear programs pose no threats
SKOREA: North Korea said Thursday its missile and nuclear
programs pose no threat, ahead of a visit by U.S. Secretary of State
Hillary Rodham Clinton to South Korea for talks expected to focus on the
communist country.
North Korea’s military accused South Korea of misusing what it called
“nonexistent nuclear and missile threats” as a pretext to invade, and
renewed a warning that its troops are in an “all-out confrontational
posture” against Seoul.
The statement from the North Korean military’s general staff, carried
by official the Korean Central News Agency, came as the regime is
believed to be gearing up to test-fire a long-range missile and Clinton
is scheduled to arrive in Seoul later Thursday for meetings expected to
tackle the missile issue.
It also underscored high tensions between the two Koreas since
Seoul’s pro-American, conservative President Lee Myung-bak took office a
year ago and sought hard-line policies toward Pyongyang.
Separately, KCNA on Thursday accused the U.S. and South Korea of
preparing to attack the North - a charge Pyongyang often makes - warning
the two countries of “a high price” for their moves.
North Korea is believed to be on track in preparations to launch its
longest-range missile, the Taepodong-2 - believed to have a range that
could reach Alaska - moving the rocket and other equipment to a launch
site on the country’s northeast coast.
South Korea’s defense minister reportedly said Wednesday that the
North could complete preparations to fire a missile within the next two
weeks at the earliest. Seoul’s Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan warned
that a missile launch will “inevitably” entail sanctions because it
would be a violation of a 2006 U.N. Security Council resolution banning
Pyongyang from pursuing missile or nuclear programs.
Clinton also warned Tuesday a missile launch “would be very unhelpful
in moving our relationship forward.”
Amid growing international pressure to drop the plan, Pyongyang said
earlier this week that it has the right to “space development” - a term
it has used in the past to disguise a missile test as a satellite
launch.
Seoul, Thursday, AP |