DPRK defense minister: US hostile policies make negotiations futile
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DPRK Defense Minister warns that the question of a nuclear war's occurrence on the Korean peninsula is no longer if, but who and when.
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Hyon Yong Chol, defense minister of the DPRK, giving a speech at a national meeting, December 29, 2012 (AP)
Speaking at the 11th Moscow Conference on International Security, DPRK Defense Minister Hyon Yong Chol addressed concerns about the possibility of a nuclear war on the Korean peninsula: stating that the question at hand is not if it will happen, but rather who will initiate it and when
"Nuclear war on the Korean Peninsula is no longer a question of whether it will be, but a question of who will start it and when. The nuclear war mania by the United States and their puppets in the Republic of Korea [South Korea] is turning the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia into a new hotbed of nuclear war," the minister.
"We are firmly convinced that the solution of any issues through dialogue and negotiations is impossible if the United States does not recognize the complete failure of its hostile policy towards the DPRK and does not completely and irrevocably abandon its confrontational line forever."
Furthermore, the Defense Minister also expressed the DPRK leader's intention to bolster security cooperation with Russia. He revealed that Kim emphasized this objective during a meeting with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu in late July. The leaders discussed the need for expanded strategic and tactical collaboration, focusing on defense and security matters.
"He [Kim] emphasized the need to further develop strategic and tactical cooperation, the interaction between the two countries in the fields of defense and security," the minister said during the 11th Moscow Conference on International Security.
Read more: DPRK says US triggers nuclear arms race, threatens basis NPT
It was reported yesterday that DPRK leader Kim Jong Un visited crucial weapons factories and called for a significant increase in missile production.
The inspections involved visits to factories producing tactical missiles, rocket launcher shells, and armored combat vehicles. Kim expressed satisfaction with the progress made in these facilities and set a goal to enhance missile production capacity.
Reads more: DPRK parades nuclear capabilities; 'US has no room for survival'
