WORLD> Asia-Pacific
DPRK threatens nuclear, missile tests
(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-04-30 09:26

SEOUL: The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) threatened Wednesday to conduct nuclear and missile tests unless the UN apologizes for criticizing its April 5 rocket launch, dramatically raising its stake in the worsening standoff over its atomic programs.

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Pyongyang's Foreign Ministry said in a statement the country "will be compelled to take additional self-defensive measures" unless the UN Security Council apologizes immediately. "The measures will include nuclear tests and test-firings of intercontinental ballistic missiles."

The DPRK's ministry also said the country would build a light-water nuclear reactor and start developing technologies to produce nuclear fuel, a threat that experts said indicated the country would start enriching uranium - which can be used in the production of a nuclear bomb.

The current nuclear standoff flared in late 2002 after Washington raised allegations that Pyongyang had a clandestine nuclear program based on enriched uranium in addition to a separate one based on plutonium. The DPRK has strongly denied the allegations.

Pyongyang conducted its first-ever atomic test blast in 2006 and is thought to have enough plutonium to make at least half a dozen nuclear bombs. But experts have said the country is not believed to have mastered the technology to make a nuclear warhead small enough to put on a missile.

The UN Council adopted a statement this month denouncing the DPRK's April 5 rocket launch and calling for tightening sanctions. Pyongyang has claimed the rebuke is unfair because the liftoff was a peaceful satellite launch. But the US and others believe it was a test of long-range missile technology.

Wednesday's threat came days after the DPRK said it had begun reprocessing spent nuclear fuel rods at its Yongbyon nuclear complex - a move aimed at harvesting weapons-grade plutonium. That announcement came hours after the UN blacklisted three DPRK companies.

The Security Council should apologize for infringing on the DPRK's sovereignty, "withdraw all its unreasonable and discriminative resolutions and decisions" against the DPRK, the ministry said in a statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency.

Pyongyang may do it

Professor Liu Jiangyong, a researcher on Asia-Pacific issues at Tsinghua University, said the latest DPRK's statement suggests it may go ahead with its test plan. "As long as it says so, Pyongyang will probably do it."

But he said it is not right to "play up anything" right now and called on countries concerned not to overreact to the DPRK statement.

Wu Miaofa, a former diplomat of China's UN delegation, said the DPRK threat aims to test the bottom line for the Obama administration.

"One hundred days have passed since Barack Obama took office, and his foreign policies have become clear in all aspects except on the DPRK. Pyongyang wants Washington to clarify it now," he said.

Wu expects strong reactions from the US and Japan because any test of intercontinental ballistic missiles threaten their security.

He also warned the UN Security Council may come up with harsher sanctions if Pyongyang went ahead with its test plan.