DPRK Withdraws from Nuclear Weapons Pact

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, January 10, 2003

DPRK Withdraws from Nuclear Weapons Pact

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) withdraws from the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Wepaons (NPT), the Korean Central Broadcasting Station announced on Friday, a move that further escalated the nuclear crisis on the Korean Peninsula.

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The government of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Friday declared its withdrawal from the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), a move that further escalated the nuclear crisis on the Korean Peninsula.

In a statement carried by the KCNA, the DPRK government said itis "totally free from the binding force the safeguards accord withthe International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), adding that it took this measure to protect its sovereignty and its right to existence and dignity."

Pyongyang also asserted that it has no intention to produce nuclear weapons, adding that is willing to prove through verification with the United States that it does not make any nuclear weapon if the latter dropped its anti-DPRK policy.

The anti-DPRK policy of the United States and resolution of theIAEA compelled the DPRK to withdraw from the NPT, the statement said.

The IAEA adopted a resolution on Monday, which ordered the DPRKto abandon its nuclear program and clarify its uranium enrichment program.

The nuclear issue erupted in last Oct., when the United States claimed that DPRK is secretly developing an uranium enrichment program for nuclear development.

The United States stopped it heavy oil supplies to the DPRK in Nov., and Pyongyang reactivated its nuclear facilities in Dec. in return. The US-DPRK relationship has since been in deadlock.

Pyongyang had hinted in late Dec. that it would drop out of thepact.

The DPRK joined the NPT in Dec. 1985. Pyongyang withdrew from treaty in March 1993 but returned to the pact in Oct. 1994 under the Agreed Framework reached by the United States and DPRK in Geneva.

Nuclear issue should be solved through dialogue: Kim Dae-jung

South Korean President Kim Dae-jung reiterated on Friday that the nuclear issue of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) should be resolved peacefully through dialogue.

Calling the nuclear standoff a "life or death situation," the outgoing president reiterated, "we have to use every effort available to resolve the issue peacefully through dialogue," the national news agency Yonhap News quoted him as saying.

"The North's withdrawal from the NPT brought the situation on the Korean Peninsula from bad to worse by one step," Kim said during a luncheon meeting with leaders of a women community at thePresidential Office.

"We have to do our utmost for a settlement through diplomatic efforts and inter-Korean dialogue," Kim stressed, adding that patience is necessary in thawing the deadlock.

"We have to make the Korean Peninsula free of nuclear weapons. For this purpose, we have to be patient and persistent in achieving a peaceful solution," he said.

The president added that through the South Korean government's active persuasion efforts, "the situation is steering toward a direction in which the United States and the North have dialogue."

The DPRK announced its withdrawal from the treaty on Friday via its national news agency, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), but said it had no intention of developing nuclear weapons.

Kim underscored the importance of the presence of US troops stationed in South Korea. "The US military's presence on the peninsula provides critical help in stemming concerns over the North's invasion of the South," he said.

At the same time, South Korean President-elect Roh Moo-hyun expressed deep regret at the DPRK's decision to pull out of the NPT.

The spokesman for Roh, Lee Nak-yon, was quoted by Yonhap as saying the president-elect had urged the DPRK to give up its decision to resume nuclear facility operations and to prevent further escalation of the nuclear crisis.

The Millennium Democratic Party, to which Roh belongs, also issued a statement on Friday, urging dialogue on the escalated crisis.

"The South Korean government immediately needs to learn what the North wants and should seek a solution through close discussions with the United States, Japan, China, Russia and the European Union," said the statement.

The president-elect earlier Friday named one of his closest aides as a special envoy to Washington to defuse the nuclear standoff.

Japan urges DPRK to rescind NPT decision

The Japanese government Friday called on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to rescind its decision to withdraw from the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), Japan's Kyodo News reported.

"It is extremely regrettable ... and the government of Japan expresses great concern," Japanese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hatsuhisa Takashima said. "We strongly urge and demand that the DPRK swiftly withdraw this declaration of pulling out of the NPT and the safeguard agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)."

The spokesman said Japan is working closely with the United States and South Korea to deal with the latest development and is also in close consultation with the IAEA.

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda said in a statement that Japan strongly expects the DPRK to take a positive step to help settle the issue of its nuclear program.

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