BREAKING NEWS

North Korea passes on Iran-style nuclear deal

The communist enclave says they are subject to a grave nuclear threat; Make no mention of their 1994 nuclear agreement with the US.

By REUTERS

JULY 21, 2015 07:42

Updated: JULY 21, 2015 11:15

SEOUL - North Korea is not interested in an Iran-like dialogue with the United States to give up its nuclear capabilities, the isolated country's foreign ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.

"It is not logical to compare our situation with the Iranian nuclear agreement because we are always subjected to provocative US military hostilities, including massive joint military exercises and a grave nuclear threat," said the statement, which was carried by state media but attributed to a foreign ministry spokesman.

"We do not have any interest at all on dialogue for unilaterally freezing or giving up our nukes," it said.

In 1994, North Korea signed a nuclear agreement with the US, under the administration of former US president Bill Clinton. He said at the time that the deal meant "North Korea will freeze and then dismantle its nuclear program. South Korea and our other allies will be better protected. The entire world will be safer as we slow the spread of nuclear weapons.”

Clinton said that the “United States and international inspectors will carefully monitor North Korea to make sure it keeps its commitments. Only as it does so will North Korea fully join the community of nations."

Twelve years later, in 2006, North Korea detonated its first underground nuclear explosion.