USATODAY.com - N. Korea: U.S. does not have 'monopoly' on pre-emptive strike

USATODAY.com - N. Korea: U.S. does not have 'monopoly' on pre-emptive strike


SEOUL — North Korea said Tuesday that it had the ability to launch a pre-emptive attack on the United States in its latest threat since being told it must stop its illegal trade activities.

"Our strong revolutionary might put in place all measures to counter (a) possible U.S. pre-emptive strike," the North Korea Foreign Ministry said, according to the Korean Central News Agency. "Pre-emptive strike is not the monopoly of the United States."

The ministry also said the North had built atomic weapons to counter the U.S. nuclear threat.

"We made nuclear weapons because of a nuclear threat from the United States," the ministry said.

The CIA has said the North may have enough plutonium from its nuclear program for at least a half-dozen weapons.

The United States urged the North to stop its threats and return to talks begun last year in which the North agreed to suspend its nuclear weapons program. The United States has also been pressuring the North to cease illegal activities used to bankroll its nuclear program such as money laundering, passing counterfeit money and trafficking in fake drugs and endangered species.

"They would do well to spend less time on propaganda and more time doing what the world would like them to do, which is preparing to come to the six-party talks and implement their part of the September agreement to denuclearize," Christopher Hill, assistant secretary of State, said Tuesday.

Five nations — the United States, South Korea, Japan, Russia and China — reached an agreement with the North in September to provide the dictatorship with financial aid in return for a suspension of its nuclear program. The last round of the nuclear talks was held in November.

But North Korea has said it will not finalize the deal until the United States drops its demands regarding the North's alleged improper trade activities.

The United States says the nuclear talks and the demands are separate issues and that it will not merge the two.

North Korea has also expressed anger at annual joint U.S.-South Korean military drills. The drills will start next week and are designed to coordinate U.S. and South Korean forces in a joint defense of South Korea.

Contributing: Barbara Slavin in Washington