Seoul - North Korea's declared plan to undertake a nuclear test is not a
bluff, but there is still room for negotiation, a paper in Japan reported
Thursday from Pyongyang.
"The nuclear test statement was not empty language, but announced on the
premise of action," the Choson Sinbo said. "Carrying out a nuclear test is an
inevitable conclusion ... under a condition where (the country) declared
possession of nuclear weapons in February last year."
North Korea announced Tuesday it would conduct a nuclear test to prove the
country is a nuclear power. Pyongyang claims it has nuclear weapons and needs
them to deter a US attack, but hasn't performed any known test to verify that.
The paper, run by
an association of North Korean residents in Japan, is not part of North
Korea's official media, but its articles are believed to reflect the country's
position.
The paper warned that if the United States isn't taking the test plan
seriously, it would be misunderstanding the North.
But it also indicated there is still room for negotiations, saying, "The
current crisis can be overcome if the US begins to take action toward
denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula with the same goal" as North Korea.
The paper didn't specify whether a breakthrough in negotiations would
forestall a nuclear test, but said the North was still pursuing an eventual
denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
North Korea has also said its "ultimate goal" is to settle "the hostile
relations" with the US, maintaining that Washington is plotting to invade the
country, a charge the US denies.
"As long as the US attitude remains unchanged, the schedule and plan for
bolstering North Korea's nuclear deterrent will be implemented as it is," the
paper said.
Establishing diplomatic relations with Washington has been a
top policy goal of the North. The US has repeatedly said it has no intention
of attacking the North and is willing to establish relations with Pyongyang,
but that nation must first give up its nuclear ambitions.
The US and the North's four neighbors, China, Japan, South Korea
and Russia, have tried to persuade Pyongyang to give up its nuclear ambitions in
exchange for economic and political incentives.
But the six-party talks have been stalled since last
year as the North refuses to attend in protest against US financial restrictions
for the North's alleged illegal financial activity.
