Working toward a Korea free of war and nuclear weapons, presidential office says
Cheong Wa Dae pushed back Saturday against North Korea's objections to the recent reaffirmation by Seoul and Washington of their denuclearization goal, saying the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula is "the consistent goal of the international community, confirmed by numerous Security Council resolutions."
A Cheong Wa Dae official said in a statement that extended deterrence cooperation between South Korea and the United States is "the duty of a responsible government to protect the lives and safety of its people," adding that it "fully conforms to the international nonproliferation regime and norms, including the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty."
The official went on to say that "the government is working to realize a Korean Peninsula free of war and nuclear weapons under a vision of peaceful coexistence and shared growth."
South Korea and the United States held the sixth meeting of the Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG) in Seoul on June 11, issuing a joint press statement that explicitly confirmed "the shared goal of North Korea's denuclearization."
North Korea's Foreign Ministry spokesperson responded through KCNA, calling it "sheer nonsense and hollow delusion" to speak of disarming the other side in a conflict.
North Korea also said that "no matter how strongly the United States, Japan and South Korea insist, they will never be able to change the current status of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea as a nuclear-armed state," and added that denuclearization is "a matter that has been finally and irreversibly concluded."
sang@heraldcorp.com
