North Korea views its nuclear potential as security guarantee – diplomat

(Interfax – MOSCOW, April 8, 2013) North Korea does not want to become another target for the U.S. after Syria and therefore it needs reliable security guarantees, a North Korean diplomatic source said in reply to a question from Interfax concerning reasons for Pyongyang’s increasingly militant rhetoric in relation to the U.S. and South Korea of late.

“Washington has often said lately that it has always badly understood North Korea’s position and understands it even worse now. Meanwhile, our position has been and remains to be clear and plain: we need reliable guarantees of our country’s security, inviolability of its sovereignty, and our future peaceful development,” he said.

“Seeing the way the U.S. and its allies are consistently dealing with the governments of sovereign countries undesirable to them, Pyongyang is sure that the DPRK will be the next target for the U.S. after Syria,” he said.

“In this situation, we need strength to deter potential opponents. I would like to stress: to deter, not to attack. We are not the only and not the first nuclear power. So why should we be denied the opportunity to have such deterrence forces?” the North Korean diplomat said.

Asked whether North Korea could expect to settle the conflict situation on the Korean Peninsula through some negotiating processes, the diplomat said his country believes it can currently guarantee its security by possessing a nuclear potential and military power in general.