N Korea says not bound by UNSC resolution

Seoul, Jul 16: North Korea today said it was not bound by a UN Security Council resolution, which has created ''an extremely dangerous situation'' and the country would ''bolster its war deterrent'' in every way.

The Security Council had acted with ''irresponsibility,'' by voting unanimously for a resolution requiring nations to prevent North Korea from obtaining dangerous weapons, an unnamed North Korean foreign ministry spokesman was quoted as saying by the official KCNA news agency.

''Our Republic vehemently denounces and roundly refutes the UN (Security Council) 'resolution,' a product of the US hostile policy towards the DPRK, and will not be bound to it in the least,'' KCNA quoted the North's spokesman as saying.

DPRK is short for the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. ''Our Republic will bolster its war deterrent for self-defence in every way by all means and methods now that the situation has reached the worst phase due to the extremely hostile act of the US'' the spokesman said.

North Korea has referred to its military buildup and its weapons of mass destruction programmes as its war deterrent, saying the U S military presence and drills on the Korean peninsula were a prelude to war against it.

Washington denies it has any aggressive intent towards the North and says its 30,000 troops are there under an alliance with South Korea to deter a military threat from the North.

North Korea launched seven missiles on July 5, including a long-range Taepodong-2, which experts said could theoretically hit the continental United States but fell into the Sea of Japan.

The Security Council resolution condemns the missile launches and demands that the North suspend all missile activities and return to stalled six-country talks aimed at ending Pyongyang's nuclear weapons programmes.

North and South Korea remain technically at war because the 1950-53 Korean War ended in a truce instead of a peace treaty.

North Korea's 1.2 million troops make the country the world's most heavily militarised state.

REUTERS

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