North Korea Denies Admitting Secret Nuke Program

ap tbo- ap newswire ^ | Published: Jan 12, 2003 | The Associated Press

[Rain-maker]

North Korea Denies Admitting Secret Nuke Program

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - North Korea denied Sunday admitting to U.S. officials that it had a secret nuclear weapons program and said it would unleash a "sea of fire" if the United States challenges the communist country.

The warning came in a commentary from North Korea's state-run newspaper Rodong Sinmun and was reported by South Korea's Yonhap news agency.

"The claim that we admitted developing nuclear weapons is an invention fabricated by the U.S. with sinister intentions," the paper said.

The issue is a crux of the current global standoff surrounding North Korea's nuclear ambitions. The United States claimed that the North admitted to having an atomic weapons program in October while U.S. Assistant Secretary of State James Kelly was in Pyongyang for talks.

The alleged admission, which would be in violation of a 1994 accord with the United States, prompted the U.S. government to halt oil shipments that were promised to the North under the agreement.

On Sunday, the North Korean paper blamed the United States for the standoff and warned: "If the United States evades its responsibility and challenges us, we'll turn the citadel of imperialists into a sea of fire."

When negotiators reached the 1994 agreement, Pyongyang warned that it would turn the South Korean capital of Seoul into a "sea of fire."

The United States has said it believes North Korea has one or two nuclear weapons and could make several more within six months if it reactivates a plutonium reprocessing plant.

On Saturday, a North Korean official said that plant was ready for operation.

Kelly was due in Seoul later Sunday for talks on ending the crisis.

AP-ES-01-12-03 0131EST

[Rain-maker]

[dixiechick2000]

LOL! Great graphic!

I hope NK gets it story straight soon. It must suck to be them...

[Anti-Bubba182]

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[Once-Ler]

Looks like Bill Richardson was talking out of his butt.
Ratchet up the war rhetoric...NK really wants our attention.
It looks like NK is in a mad race to make some new bombs.

Is it too early to start a Attack on North Korea Betting Pool?

[Rain-maker]

U.S.: North Korea admits nuke program

From Andrea Koppel and John King
CNN Washington Bureau
Thursday, October 17, 2002 Posted: 9:07 AM EDT (1307 GMT)

http://www.cnn.com/2002/US/10/16/us.nkorea/

[Squantos]

LOL....Sea of fire ?!?!?! ....Did "SadAssed Insane" loan out his threat writer to "Kim's real Ill" ?

[stuck_in_new_orleans]

Ratchet up the war rhetoric...NK really wants our attention.

HA! You think thats something...just wait until after we push over Saddam. Then guess who's going to be #1 on our list? Thats when those goofy mo-fo's will really start getting dangerous

[backhoe]

Cross-link:

-The Atomic Genie- what we know about North Korea's Nuclear program--

[johnny7]

Those goofy mo-fo's can attack anytime they want and roll-over SK in a week.

Our 37,000 people would be sacrificed. SK is actually in capitulation mode as we speak.

NK takes its marching orders from China. They are behind this NK flare-up.

SK reminds me a lot of the Philippines in 1941.

[jimtorr]

Did "SadAssed Insane" loan out his threat writer to "Kim's real Ill" ?

Nah, DPRK has been saying this sort of thing for decades. I recall that when I was in Japan in 1984, Kim Sr. was threatening the same sort of havoc if we didn't stop the annual military exercises with ROK.

I think Sad-dam took lessons from the Kim's.

[happygrl]

He he he... That big ole' head makes such a good target.

[gulfcoast6]

Those folks in NK are total nutscases, basket casses, but tell you what, SK keep showing their backside, call our boys home and to heck with them. At least some 'friends' demostrated FOR america the other day in SK, what a surprise.

[John Valentine]

Is it too early to start an Attack on North Korea Betting Pool?

No, it's too late.

The Attack on North Korea Betting Pool went up on December 26.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/812594/posts

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

From the article: The North Korean official then shocked Kelly when he looked at him and said "something to the effect of, 'Your president called us a member of the axis of evil. ... Your troops are deployed on the Korean peninsula. ... Of course, we have a nuclear program,'"

These commies sure are a bunch of jokers. Just wild and craaaazy guys.

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

North Korea Denies Admitting Secret Nuke Program

"We didn't admit anything, it was all just a dream."

[Libertina]

Graphic ROTFLOL!
So, they lied and now they deny admitting they lied? What a bunch of Nutcases. Guess they weren't getting the "reception" they wanted from other countries after saying they had nukes, and so now they pretend they did't admit it - weeks after the fact. Or perhaps this was the helpful suggestion from BILL RICHARDSON, who knows the US can't check these things out in person easily. Clinton was probably getting upset about We The People viewing his "legacy."

[Credo]

How's this for a take on the DPRK situation: Sadaam is fronting them money in order for the North Koreans to distract us?

[Dog]

Good theory....I think they did a conference call .

[Darksheare]

"You must forgret what whreee toad yu about our secret nruke programs!"

[XHogPilot]

Spent a week in Seoul just before Christmas. Looking through the upscale shops in Myong Dong, revealed a shocking bit of information. On several very nice "Hang Ten" brand wool coats, were "Made in DPRK" labels. That's North Korea for those letter challenged individuals - Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea. (The shop keeper appeared shocked when I pointed this out, but still insisted the price of approx $150 US was worth it.) Which brings up several questions:
1. Why is a US corporation licensing its name to an obscenely depraved manufacturer using DPRK slave factories?
http://www.hangten.com/about/history.cfm?year=2000&image_number=1
http://www.hangten.com.tw/inter.htm
2. Which member of President Kim Dae-Jung's political party (Millennium Democratic Party) got his cut on this sweet business transaction? (With the exception of tightly controlled S. Korean govt' events, it is still a death penalty offense for South Korean citizens to do business with, travel to, or correspond with North Koreans.)
http://www.nobel.se/peace/laureates/2000/
3. Why should I risk my life, and more importantly my nation's soul, defending South Korea? I spent 18 months in the prime of my life, defending the ROK. - I think its time we leave and let these ingrates solve their own problems!