North Korea Not Interested In Iran-Like Nuclear Deal Tuesday July 21,2015

 

North Korea said Tuesday July 21,2015 that it's not interested in an Iran-type nuclear disarmament deal, saying it won't abandon its atomic weapons as long as the United States maintains hostile policies toward the country

North Korea's nuclear program is a major regional concern, with the country having conducted atomic weapons tests in 2006, 2009 and 2013. International nuclear disarmament talks have been stalled since early 2009, and outside analysts believe the North has built a small but growing nuclear bomb arsenal

 

The Foreign Ministry spokesman said North Korea is different from Iran because it already has nuclear weapons. He said the North faces constant military and nuclear threats from the U.S., citing its regular military exercises with South Korea.

North Korea "is not interested at all in the dialogue to discuss the issue of making it freeze or dismantle its nukes unilaterally first," he said, adding that the North "remains unchanged in the mission of its nuclear force as long as the U.S. continues pursuing its hostile policy toward" the country.

The U.S. stations about 28,500 troops in South Korea as deterrence against potential aggression from North Korea, a legacy of the 1950-53 Korean War, which ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty.