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| Korea |
| Interview with North Korean representative |
| 2003-04-21 |
| TONY JONES: Mr Kim, after watching the war in Iraq, has North Korea now decided it must have nuclear weapons? KIM MYONG CHOL, CENTRE FOR KOREAN-AMERICAN PEACE: The Iraq war totally justified North Korean decision to acquire nuclear weapons. North Korea also increasing confident that they can handle American attack. TONY JONES: They're increasingly confident because they already have nuclear weapons or because they believe they will soon have nuclear weapons? KIM MYONG-CHOL: No, no, already. Already North Korea have nuclear capability to fight war with America at any time. TONY JONES: Alright. Has North Korea already begun to reprocess fuel rods at the Yongbyon nuclear plant? KIM MYONG-CHOL: Yongbyon is nothing. Yongbyon is a joke. North Korea already has more than 100 nuclear warheads. TONY JONES: More than - KIM MYONG-CHOL: Yongbyon facility has 100 nuclear war heads, including hydrogen bomb. TONY JONES: They certainly haven't done any testing of those, sir, how can they have 100 without anybody knowing? KIM MYONG-CHOL: That is a North Korean technique. America CIA intelligence always failure, blunder. Pakistan did testing for North Korea. That was no problem. TONY JONES: Can I ask you about the statement that North Korea issued on Friday, last Friday? It was a very confusing statement. At first they said the Iraq war teaches us a lesson - to defend the security of a country, it is necessary to have a powerful, physical deterrent. Then the English translation went on to say they were reprocessing fuel rods at the Yongbyon nuclear plant. KIM MYONG-CHOL: Whatever the precise language of North Korean statement be, North Korea already processed - we processed fuel spent, no problem about it. North Korea will not give up nuclear weapons program. But North Korea may give up Yongbyon facilities in return for American compromise. TONY JONES: What sort of compromise? What would they be asking for? KIM MYONG-CHOL: If America agrees sign no aggression but peace treaty with North Korea, North Korea ready to give up Yongbyon facility. Nothing more, nothing else. TONY JONES: You're saying if the United States signs a treaty saying it will never invade North Korea - is that what you're saying? KIM MYONG-CHOL: If not America sign that peace treaty or no aggression pact, North Korea allow American inspector investigate the Yongbyon facilities, nothing more. But North Korea will never allow an American inspector watch North Korean military sites. TONY JONES: You're saying that North Korea will not allow inspectors ever to come into their country again, because there were inspectors in the country before, were there not? KIM MYONG-CHOL: No, no, no, no. North Korea ready to allow American inspector come to Yongbyon, the nuclear facility. But will not allow American inspector visit military site. So American come in to North Korea, Pyongyang, watch Yongbyon, that's OK, no problem. But they not allowed military places. TONY JONES: Alright, but you're saying those military places actually have nuclear weapons. If the powerful voices in the Pentagon actually believed that what you're saying is true, they would not allow the White House to go ahead and have these talks with North Korea, would they, because the first thing they want to know is that the nuclear weapons program will end? KIM MYONG-CHOL: OK, in that case the North Korea declare that their nuclear status in public. If North Korea become nuclear status, the American nuclear umbrella over Japan, South Korea become irrelevant. That deprive American forces of the rationally of deployment of Japan and South Korea. It's up to America. TONY JONES: The great danger, though, isn't there, if North Korea continues to reprocess fuel rods, continues to make plutonium with the potential to make more nuclear weapons, that South Korea will begin to make nuclear weapons and, ultimately, Japan may try to make nuclear weapons, there will be an escalation in your region. That can't be in North Korea's interest, can it? KIM MYONG-CHOL: Before China or Japan or South Korea or Russia become nuclear power, United States already nuclear power - that's dangerous. Dangerous is American behaviour, not North Korean behaviour. North Korean behaviour just responds American aggressive behaviour. So, if America wants stabilising station - If America wants.. TONY JONES: I'm sorry to interrupt you there. Let me ask you this - what would happen if the US used its missiles for a pre-emptive strike on the Yongbyon nuclear plant to stop North Korea developing plutonium and possibility more nuclear weapons? KIM MYONG-CHOL: It is very important remember that Yongbyon facilities operating nuclear reactor. American pre-emptive strike on Yongbyon facility resulting very dangerous massive spill over nuclear material into China, Japan and South Korea. That is very dangerous. If that means there is a nuclear war - if Yongbyon attacked, North Korea immediately retaliate Japanese nuclear reactors, South Korean reactors, also American reactor that they use mainland. That means the end of Japan, the end of South Korea, end of America. There is no legal basis for America attack Yongbyon facilities. If America attack North Korean Yongbyon facility, North Korea attack New York, Washington, Chicago in less than 20 minutes. So Rumsfeld must prepare. If he's ready to take over all the responsibility, that's fine. TONY JONES: So your message is to Donald Rumsfeld, is it? You're saying he must prepare for that possibility? KIM MYONG-CHOL: Yes. You know, Japan, South Korea, China is a major supplier to America. Yongbyon attack means the end of Japan, South Korea, China. That means American prosperity is finished. Too much risky for America. North Korea has nothing to lose. America has too much to lose. Japan has too much to lose, South Korea too much to lose. If Rumsfeld has the guts, why not try attack Yongbyon? TONY JONES: Alright, I'm afraid, Mr Kim, we will have to leave it there. |
| Posted by:Paul Moloney |
| #2 And the end of China and SK is a bug or a feature? |
| Posted by: Anonymous 2003-04-22 01:12:42 |
| #1 Christamighty... this is like negotiating with tree rats. This is truly the nuttiest thing I have read here in a while... Yongbyon attack means the end of Japan, South Korea, China. This is the kind of pre-Sesame Street logic that makes the military option so seductive. We know that reading that "North Korea has nothing to lose" is supposed send a chill down our spines, but it's also a heckuva marketing slogan for 50 years of Stalinist systems. You need radical Islamic fundamental jihadism to keep places like NK "centered"... who else'd a'thunk of strapping a suicide vest on an entire nation? |
| Posted by: Mark IV 2003-04-21 22:56:17 |