‘We have the intention of increasing our nuclear capacity’

Why does your government feel it is necessary to have a nuclear weapon? It is the US that compelled the DPR Korea to have nuclear weapons. Our country was liberated from Japanese occupation on the 15th of August 19, 1945 from Japanese colonial rule and as soon as the country was liberated, the US immediately […]

Why does your government feel it is necessary to have a nuclear weapon?
It is the US that compelled the DPR Korea to have nuclear weapons. Our country was liberated from Japanese occupation on the 15th of August 19, 1945 from Japanese colonial rule and as soon as the country was liberated, the US immediately occupied the southern part of Korea. Since this occupation, the US has always wanted to occupy the northern part because the Korean peninsula is strategically located between Russia and China. In other words, the US needs the Korean peninsula to invade Russia and China. After the occupation, they brought nuclear weapons to the South and have been threatening the North with them. And together with South Korea and Japan, the US has every year been organizing military exercises to intimidate North Korea. They have even done nuclear weapon exercises. This is why North Korea has decided to acquire nuclear weapons in order to protect its people and territory. And from early March this year, the US and South Korea have been conducting joint nuclear military exercises with the intention of intimidating the DPRK. They even threatened to attack the office of our supreme leader, the destiny and the life and soul of all our army personnel and people. We have the intentions of increasing our nuclear capabilities and improve the quality.

There have been the six party talks that have been going on since 2003 with the aim of dismantling North Korea’s nuclear capability and here you are saying you intend to improve the quantity and quality of your nuclear arsenal. Are those talks useless now?
In the past, several rounds of talks have taken place and there were agreements and movements to implement decisions taken but unfortunately nothing was done to implement the agreements because the US’s final aim from the six party talks was to bring down our social system. And last year in October at the UN General Assembly, we reaffirmed our desire to the US to review the armistice agreement to a peace agreement, that armistice was signed at the end of the Korean war which lasted between 1950 and 1953 and after that, a ceasefire agreement was signed with the US. So we proposed these ceasefire agreement be replaced with a peace agreement. Although other steps have been taken, without replacing the armistice agreement, nothing can be done. Unfortunately, the US responded to this proposal by launching joint nuclear exercises with South Korea. I would like to emphasis that the DPRK will continue to maintain its nuclear deterrent force as long as the US continues to push its hostile policy towards North Korea.

Technically, you are still at war with South Korea because what you have is an armistice agreement, not a peace agreement. Now that you are proposing a peace agreement, is that an indication that you are finally ready to embrace peace with the South?
As I said, the armistice must be replaced with a peace agreement. After that, the US must pull out its troops in the South. It is our consistent stand of our party and government to reunify North and South Korea, independently and by ourselves. That is the wish of the Korean leader Kim Jong Un and the entire people of Korea.

Should the US withdraw from South Korea, are you giving an assurance that you will not invade South Korea?
The DPRK is proposing to reunify the Korean Peninsula under a confederacy where different ideas will exist in the North and South. The South with remain capitalist, the North will remain socialist. So we are proposing a system where the systems in place will remain intact. We are proposing the Korean Confederacy.

Clearly South Korea is not buying into this idea, is it?
At present, South Korea dreams of reunifying Korea in the method of Germany, meaning, they want to absorb North Korea. As long as they are the servants of the US, that will be their thinking. Whatever the US says is what they will say. They don’t have a choice.

So are you saying the US is the obstacle to the reunification of Korea?
That is correct.

Do you see a peaceful resolution to the standoff in the Korean Peninsula?
It is our party government stand to realise reunification peacefully. That is why we are asking the US to replace the Armistice with a peace agreement. We are proposing talks to discuss peaceful reunification. Let me ask you, if Biafra with the backing of the US for instance, secedes from Nigeria and threatens to invade Nigeria, how do you think the government and people of Nigeria will react? Please tell me.

I am sure Nigeria will do whatever it takes to protect its territorial integrity. That position has always been clear. But going back to the Korean peninsula now, what are your reactions to the new sanction regime that the UN has adopted against North Korea following your nuclear tests?
It is well known to the world that DPRK, since its liberation in 1945 has been under constant sanctions by the US and its allies up till now. It is our policy to uphold the Juche idea, which was founded by the Korean leader Comrade Kim il Sung. The gist of the idea is that man is the master of everything and decides everything. So we pursue the idea of self-reliance and this has been the idea at the heart of our country and we have built a stable socialist country without any help from outside. To our military personnel and people, these sanctions are meaningless and our Supreme Leader Comrade Kim Jong Un has imbued us with a strong spirit and North Korea is growing day by day. If the US think that the sanctions can make the people of North Korea dance to its tune by these sanctions, they are very mistaken.

You have said in a statement that you will take “resolute counter measures” against the sanctions. What are these measures?
The world must know that DPRK has more powerful means than the H-Bomb. The world would witness our might. Since the US has compelled the DPRK to possess such powerful weapons, they must be responsible if there are any consequences.

Cuba had a similar difficult relationship with the US and without using nuclear weapon as a bargaining chip are now enjoying improved relations with the US. Why do you think your case is different?
First, we must create a peaceful environment in order to build a relationship. Comrade Kim Jong Un in his New Year address said that we must remove the danger of war and create a peaceful environment on the Korean peninsula.

So if you are keen on removing the danger of war, why are you stockpiling weapons?
Our Nuclear deterrent force is not a means to attack other nations. We all know the US used the first atomic bomb on Japan. Our nuclear deterrent force is to protect the people of Korea should the US think of using such a weapon against them. It is our firm stand not to use a nuclear weapon first against any country or to transfer the technology to other countries as a responsible nuclear power.

What role do you think Nigeria can play in bringing peace on the Korean Peninsula?
Nigeria and DPRK have had a long standing friendship and cooperation. Our two countries established diplomatic relations in 1976 and have since been working together on many issues. Nigeria has always extended its support to DPRK and its people in the international arena. Nigeria is a political and economic giant on the African continent so Nigeria plays a very important role in the international arena. And we appreciate the support of the Nigerian government and people to our just cause. And regarding resolution 2270 adopted by the UN against North Korea, Nigeria has called for caution on this kind of harsh sanction regime against DPR Korea and offered a hand of friendship. We are very appreciative of this.

What have been the benefits of your 40 years diplomatic ties with Nigeria?
In the last 40 years, our two countries have supported each other and a lot of cooperation has been taken place in the field of Agriculture and other economic spheres. We have Korean experts and businesses operating in Nigeria. We have been partnering in many fields such as public health and other areas and we will continue to do so.