North Korea has responded angrily to a United
Nations denouncement of its recent long range rocket launch. Calling
multinational disarmament talks "useless," the North's government says
it will restart nuclear facilities and boost its nuclear arsenal.
North
Korea vowed to get back into the nuclear weapons business Tuesday, in
response to what it called a "brigandish" abuse of the United Nations
Security Council.
Pyongyang says the council's earlier
presidential statement criticizing the North for its recent rocket
launch "degrades the dignity" of the North Korean people.
Talks aren't needed
A
North Korean news announcer read a Foreign Ministry statement saying
talks aimed at ending the North's nuclear weapons are "not needed," and
that it will no longer participate.
Tha statement goes on to say
the North will restart its main nuclear facility - which was disabled
under a previous agreement - and reprocess stored nuclear fuel rods
into material usable for boosting what it calls its "nuclear deterrent."
UN condemns rocket launch
Hours
earlier, U.N. Security Council members, including China, unanimously
condemned North Korea's rocket launch over Japan two weeks ago. Their
statement calls for U.N. members to more vigilantly enforce sanctions
imposed after the North conducted its 2006 nuclear test.
South Korean Foreign Ministry Spokesman Moon Tae-young says Seoul will comply.
He says South Korea will cooperate with other nations in implementing whatever concrete steps a U.N. sanctions board recommends.
Seoul wants full participation in PSI
Seoul
is expected soon to upgrade itself to full participation in the
Proliferation Security Initiative, or PSI. That is a U.S. - led
consortium of about 90 nations aimed at coordinating voluntary steps to
disrupt the transport of weapons of mass destruction.
North
Korea disabled its main nuclear facility as a part of six-nation
diplomacy last year. Dan Pinkston, Seoul-based senior analyst with the
International Crisis Group, says Pyongyang could get its Yongbyon
facility working again - but it would take time.
"They could
reconstruct those facilities," Pinkston said, "it might take a year or
two, maybe longer. Nevertheless, if they are determined, they should be
able to reconstitute those facilities in Yongbyon."
South Korean
officials say they are still optimistic North Korea can be persuaded to
return eventually to the six-nation nuclear talks.