[USFK Forums] We make our own weapons: North Korea [AAP]

[C. Y. Lee]

Uploaded by C. Y. Lee on Wednesday, March 1, 2006

We make our own weapons: North Koree

AAP, Wednesday March 1, 05:53 AM

North Korea says it made nuclear weapons with its own technology and cash, accusing the United States of spreading far-fetched stories that it counterfeited currency to help finance its atomic ambitions.

Six-party talks on ending North Korea's nuclear weapons programs have hit a snag over a US crackdown on firms it suspects of helping Pyongyang in illicit activities such as counterfeiting and money laundering.

North Korea has demanded the US end what it sees as sanctions aimed at toppling its leaders in order for the talks to resume. "We manufactured nuclear weapons with our own technology, funds and raw materials from A to Z. As we are not dependent on the US at all in the economic and financial fields, no US sanctions would work on us," a spokesman for North Korea's foreign ministry said.

"As we have clarified more than once, such illegal dealings as 'money laundering' and 'counterfeit notes' have nothing in common with the policy of the DPRK and such assertion of the US is nothing but a fabrication solely intended to tarnish the image of the DPRK and do harm to it," the spokesman said in response to a question by the North's KCNA news agency.

US officials have charged that the nuclear black market network run by disgraced scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan, the father Pakistan's nuclear program, supplied North Korea with technology to produce highly enriched uranium for nuclear bombs.

Washington, Seoul and others have said the crackdown is a separate issue from the nuclear talks and urged North Korea to return to the table.

US officials said they have presented evidence of North Korean counterfeiting to various governments.

The last round of talks among the two Koreas, China, Japan, Russia and the United States was held in November.


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