Seoul, Aug 12 (IANS) North Korea has denounced South Korea’s efforts to build a nuclear-powered submarine, calling it a step toward “nuclear armament,” and warned of “unparalleled power” to neutralise threats, Pyongyang’s state media said Wednesday.
In a commentary carried by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Jang Kum-chol, first vice minister of North Korea’s foreign ministry, said that Seoul’s goal was “to secure the right to produce nuclear materials, free from the restraint of the item on reprocessing nuclear waste fuel and prohibiting uranium enrichment, and ultimately pave the way for making a leap forward to nuclear armament.”
He warned that Seoul’s nuclear cooperation with Washington on nuclear submarine development will further destabilise the Korean Peninsula and pose a grave challenge to North Korea’s security and maritime sovereignty, Yonhap News Agency reported.
“The possession of the unparalleled power capable of neutralising all sorts of existing or newly-emerging potential threats and responding to any military attempt of the enemy states to provoke the strategic sovereignty security of our state with the retaliatory attack which make them impossible to survive and revive will be the most responsible option for deterring a war,” he said.
South Korea unveiled a program in May, called the Jang Bogo N program, to develop and build its first nuclear-propelled submarines, as part of its drive to better deter regional threats, including those posed by North Korea.
Washington gave Seoul the green light for the project, and the two sides have launched preliminary talks to build upon the security agreement reached between their leaders at an October summit last year.
Seoul has set the goal of launching the first vessel by the mid-2030s, with the submarine entering operational service by the late 2030s.
On August 5, South Korea’s Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said his ministry will seek to facilitate consultations with the United States to secure conditions to build nuclear-powered submarines and create an environment for its bid to secure the right to enrich uranium and reprocess spent nuclear fuel.
In a policy briefing to South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, Cho said the foreign ministry will pursue a foreign policy built on a “virtuous cycle” of self-reliance, alliance and solidarity in the second half.
“The ministry will facilitate consultations to secure necessary conditions to build nuclear-powered submarines and create an environment for pursuing enrichment and reprocessing,” he said.
The ministry will work to strengthen the South Korea-U.S. alliance in strategic areas, such as shipbuilding, he said, while closely coordinating with Washington on the economy and trade.
On North Korea, Cho said the ministry will seek ways to lay the groundwork for peaceful coexistence with the North in collaboration with multilateral organisations, like the United Nations.
In addition, the ministry will continue working with Washington to revive dialogue with Pyongyang and restart denuclearisation talks through a phased approach, staring with a halt to North Korea’s nuclear programs, he said.
Cho also said the ministry will deepen diplomatic ties with the Group of Seven, the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and expand diplomatic channels through upcoming summits with Central Asian nations.
–IANS
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