TEHRAN, January 23 - North Korea said on Tuesday it had a "powerful and reliable" nuclear deterrent to thwart any attack and accused the United States of deploying military assets nearby under the pretext of ensuring security at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.
TEHRAN, Young Journalists Club (YJC) - Han Tae Song, North Korea's Ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, called on the United States to permanently halt its joint military drills with South Korea, suspended ahead of the Games that open on Feb. 9 amid an easing of tensions.
Han said contrary to the trend toward "detente", U.S. forces were engaging in a "precarious military maneuver" by bringing their strategic assets near the divided Korean peninsula ahead of the competition.
"This is a dangerous act of throwing a wet blanket over the current positive atmosphere of inter-Korean relations, which could drive the situation again into an extreme phase of confrontation," Han told the U.N.-sponsored Conference on Disarmament.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in said on Monday a thaw in relations between the two Koreas ahead of the Winter Olympics presented a "precious chance" for the United States and North Korea to discuss the North's weapons programs.
Source: Reuters
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