North Korea said on Wednesday it
sees no more need to negotiate with the United States, accusing
Washington of plotting to "bring down" its regime, and
threatened to strike back using all its military resources.
North Korea routinely seeks to raise tensions ahead of
annual joint military drills by U.S. and South Korean forces
that usually begin in March. This year, Pyongyang has offered to
suspend nuclear testing if Washington calls off the exercises.
However, North Korea's National Defense Commission said on
Wednesday the United States was inching close to "igniting a war
of aggression" and that the Obama administration was working to
trigger its collapse.
The commission, Pyongyang's supreme leadership body, is
headed North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
"Since the gangster-like U.S. imperialists are blaring that
they will "bring down" the DPRK ... the army and people of the
DPRK cannot but officially notify the Obama administration of
the USA that the DPRK has neither need nor willingness to sit at
the negotiating table with the U.S. any longer," it said.
Using the North's official name of the Democratic People's
Republic of Korea (DPRK), it said Pyongyang had decided "to
write the last page of ... U.S. history".
"(Smaller), precision and diversified nuclear striking means
and ground, naval, underwater, air and cyber warfare means will
be used," the commission said in the statement carried by the
official KCNA news agency.
U.S. President Barack Obama said in an interview carried on
YouTube on Jan. 22 the Internet would inevitably penetrate even
a country as reclusive and closed as North Korea and bring about
change. "Over time you will see a regime like this collapse,"
Obama said.
The angry response by North Korea's defense commission came
after its foreign ministry said on Sunday Washington had
rejected its invitation for the top U.S. nuclear envoy handling
North Korea to visit for talks.
Sung Kim, the U.S. special representative for North Korea
policy, said in Beijing he was open for talks with the North
Koreans. However, the State Department denied there was any plan
for talks or change in its position that Pyongyang must first
show it was serious about ending its nuclear ambitions.
REUTERS