PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — North Korea on July 12 insisted it needs atomic weaponry to deter a U.S. nuclear threat, and vowed never to give up its right to launch rockets as part of what it called a peaceful space program.
Washington’s aim is to “eliminate the political ideology and system our people have opted for,” Foreign Minister Pak Ui-Chun told those attending the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Regional Forum, according to a summary given to reporters by his delegation.
North Korea’s April 13 launch of a long-range rocket 13 heightened regional tensions and sank a deal with the United States reached Feb. 29. Under that agreement, the North had agreed to freeze its uranium enrichment plant and suspend nuclear and missile tests, while the U.S. promised 240,000 tons of food aid.
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