North Korea Says Nuclear Deterrent Not Aimed At South

Geneva: North Korea does not seek to use its nuclear weapons against South Korea but needs to maintain its nuclear deterrent to ensure stability of the divided peninsula in the face of "hostile" US policies, Pyongyang's envoy said today.

So Se Pyong, North Korea's ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, took the floor at the Conference on Disarmament to respond to South Korea's foreign minister's call for imposing tough sanctions on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in punishment of its latest nuclear and missile tests.

"We have already made clear that the DPRK's nuclear deterrent is not directed to harm the fellow countryman but to protect peace on the Korean Peninsula and security in the region from the US vicious nuclear war scenario," So told the forum.