NK reaffirms nuke policy

North Korea vowed Tuesday to continue to pursue its nuclear program as long as the United States maintains a “hostile policy” amid ongoing tension over Pyongyang’s failed April 13 rocket launch.

The North “will not stop for a moment in its nuclear deterrence as long as the United States continues its hostile policy,” a foreign ministry official in a statement carried by state media.

The report came amid heavy pressure on the North from Seoul, Washington and others to stand down from its provocations. Satellite imagery has revealed preparations for a nuclear test were underway at its Pungye-ri site. Analysts say the test could be a face-saving measure following the launch.

In the statement, a foreign ministry spokesman said that before the launch there had been no plans for “measures such as a nuclear test” before the launch because it viewed the action as peaceful attempt to put a satellite into orbit. The international community condemned it as a ballistic missile test.

The statement came days after Group of Eight leaders urged Pyongyang to abandon all nuclear and ballistic missile programs in a complete, verifiable, and irreversible manner.

Tensions have been high since the launch, which earned the North a U.N. Security Council presidential statement that expanded sanctions on the cash-strapped country. The rocket, meant to put a satellite into orbit, broke into pieces shortly after liftoff. <Korea Times/Kim Young-jin>

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