On Tuesday, North Korea called on the US to remove “all sources of nuclear threat” in and around the Korean Peninsula as a precursor to North Korea’s own denuclearization.
The process is «a joint business,» the statement run by Korea Central News Agency (KCNA) says, noting that «it cannot be achieved unless both Korea and the United States strive tougher.»
At the June 12 summit in Singapore, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un agreed with US President Donald Trump to a mutual pledge toward total denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. However, since then, Kim has made clear that his country, formally named the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), has no intention of disarming unilaterally, having obtained nuclear weapons as a guarantee of self-defense in the first place.
«The proper definition of denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula is completely eliminating the American nuclear threat to North Korea before eliminating our nuclear capability,» Tuesday’s statement reads. «The United States must now recognize the accurate meaning of the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, and especially must study geography.»
«When we talk about the Korean Peninsula, it includes the territory of our republic and also the entire region of [South Korea], where the United States has placed its invasive force, including nuclear weapons,» the statement continues. «When we talk about the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, it means the removal of all sources of nuclear threat, not only from the South and North, but also from areas neighboring the Korean Peninsula.»
It’s unknown what nuclear weapons are stationed in the vicinity, and a US defense official contacted by CNN said, «We do not discuss the location of nuclear weapons.
