North Korea Says It Has Nuclear Weapons and Rejects Talks
TOKYO, Feb. 10 - In a surprising admission, North Korea's hard-line Communist government declared publicly today for the first time that it has nuclear weapons.
It also said that it will boycott United States-sponsored regional talks designed to end its nuclear program, according to a North Korean Foreign Ministry statement transmitted today by the nation's wire service.
Pyongyang said it has "manufactured nukes for self-defense to cope with the Bush administration's undisguised policy to isolate and stifle" North Korea, and that it will "bolster its nuclear weapons arsenal."
The statement, considered a definitive policy pronouncement, said that North Korea, led by the reclusive dictator Kim Jong Il, is pulling out of the talks after concluding that the second Bush administration would pursue the "brazen-faced, double-dealing tactics" of dialogue and "regime change."
Four hours before the official Korean Central News Agency transmitted the pullout statement, a top Bush administration official told reporters here that North Korea's return to the nuclear talks was expected by all other participants -the United States, Japan, South Korea, Russia and China.
"The onus is really on North Korea," said John R. Bolton, undersecretary of state for arms control and international security, noting that the last time the parties met was in June.
Referring to North Korea's bomb making capability, he added: "The absence of progress in six-party talks means they are making further progress toward their increased capability."
It is unclear if North Korea is definitively slamming the door to talks or merely trying to raise its price for returning to the bargaining table.
"We are compelled to suspend our participation in the talks for an indefinite period," the statement said, adding that North Korea would return only when "there are ample conditions and atmosphere to expect positive results from the talks."
President Bush's chief spokesman, Scott McClellan, said the latest words and actions from North Korea "only deepen their isolation from the international community."
Asked whether the White House viewed today's announcement as a change in policy by North Korea, Mr. McClellan said: "It's rhetoric we've heard before. That's the way I would describe it."
Speaking to reporters on Air Force One as President Bush was traveling to North Carolina, Mr. McClellan said the United States joined North Korea's neighbors in sending "a clear and unified message" of displeasure. "And the way for North Korea to end its isolation and realize better relations with the international community is to come back to the six-party talks and discuss how we can move forward," he said.
From Europe, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told RTL television of Luxembourg, "The North Koreans should reassess this and try to end their own isolation." A similar appeal came from Japan, America's closest ally in the region.
In Nice, France, where he is attending a NATO meeting, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said in a news conference that he did not have "certain knowledge" that North Korea possessed nuclear weapons, although he was aware of its statement today.
Saying he did not want his comments to be taken as confirmation, Mr. Rumsfeld added that if the statement was true, "one has to worry about weapons of that power in the hands of leadership of that nature."
In London, Secretary General Kofi Annan of the United Nations said he expected the North Koreans could be brought back to the nuclear talks. "I hope it's not an indefinite position," he said.
In Beijing, the Foreign Ministry's chief spokesman, Kong Quan, said China hoped the talks with North Korea would continue, according to a statement issued by the New China News Agency,
Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi of Japan told reporters about North Korea's decision to boycott the talks: "It's better to resume them early. It would be in North Korea's interest to make use of the six-party forum."
Yeah, its a re-run...but its funny
Kim Jong II Unfolds Into Giant Robot
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Kim Jong II Unfolds Into Giant Robot
PYONGYANG, NORTH KOREA—Responding to mounting pressure and increasingly confrontational rhetoric from the outside world, North Korean president Kim Jong Il unfolded into a 70-foot-tall, 62-ton giant robot Monday.
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Above: Kim Jong Il marches through the streets of Pyongyang.
"The DPRK's nuclear program is very much its own business, as is its right to determine its own path of security," said Kim, his torso splitting along ventral seams as clusters of Taepo-Dong ICBMs rose from his shoulders. "Any attempt by Washington to decide our fate will surely result in a sea of fire being unleashed upon them."
As his arms and legs sheathed themselves in bulletproof Mecha-Muscle telescoping outward from his chest, Kim reiterated his refusal to bow to international demands.
"Constant criticism from outside indicates mistrust of our promise to refrain from missile tests," said Kim, speaking over the mechanical shriek of wingblades sprouting from his back. "Only trust from the U.S. that we will keep our word can prevent World War III."
"The imperialist West is holding my country to standards which it does not see fit to meet itself," continued Kim, his voice now a metallic, digitized boom emanating from somewhere within the titanium helmet sheathing his head. "This does not surprise me, as they are well-famed for their lies."
"Pyongyang Dynamo Power Punch!" added Kim, as he released his fist-modules skyward with twin robotic uppercuts.
While the Bush Administration remains publicly confident that a diplomatic solution can be reached, top officials admit that the situation has become more complicated.
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Above: A South Korean border soldier eyes Kim Jong Il in the Demilitarized Zone.
"If we add Kim Jong Il's transformation into a giant robot to his already defiant isolationist stance and his country's known nuclear capability, the diplomatic terrain definitely becomes more rocky," U.S. envoy James Kelly said. "Kim has made it clear that, if sufficiently threatened, he will not hesitate to use nuclear weapons or his arm-mounted HyperBazooka."
Added Kelly: "We are also forced to consider the possibility that Kim may attempt to robo-meld with other members of the Axis of Evil, forming a MegaMecha-Optima-Robosoldier. Kim would make a powerful right arm—or even a torso—for such a mechanism."
During a visit Monday to the Demilitarized Zone dividing the Korean peninsula, Kim stressed that his transformation was not an act of aggression, but rather an attempt to defend his nation's autonomy.
"The DPRK must not be subject to the whims of an international coalition with no regard for the welfare of the Korean people," said Kim before stomping the ground with his foot, unleashing a devastating ring of energy that vaporized nearby reporters and military vehicles. "Catastrophic Valiant Kim-Chee Earthquake Stomp-Kick!"
