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North Korea will not need its nuclear arms program if the U.S. ends its attempts to overthrow the regime, a Pyongyang mouthpiece in Japan reiterated Tuesday. The Chosun Shinbo, published by the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan or Chongryon, said trust between the two countries could be fostered if the U.S. ¡°withdraws its hostile policy toward North Korea, and as North Korea would no longer feel threatened, it would not need a single nuclear weapon.¡± It said the North repeatedly made this clear and had already made a strategic decision to give up nuclear arms. "This was reflected in the joint statement at the six-way talks," it said. "But the U.S. is exhibiting no resolve to enact the joint statement and continues to pursue the overthrow of the North Korean authority."
A South Korean official said there was no reason to set any great store by the statement. The paper earlier called signs that North Korea was poised to test missiles ¡°a fabrication,¡± only to be stumped when the North did test seven missiles several days later.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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