A ranking North Korean diplomat said Tuesday his country's self-imposed moratorium on long-range missile launches stands only when the country is in dialogue with the United States.
"Some say our missile test launch is a violation of the moratorium, but this is not true," Han Song-ryol, the deputy chief of Pyongyang's mission to the United Nations, said in a telephone interview with Yonhap News Agency.
"As a sovereign state, North Korea has the right to not only develop, deploy, and test-fire but also export a missile. It is not right that others tell us what to do about our sovereign rights," Han said.
He made it clear that North Korea wants to solve the issue through negotiations with the U.S., saying he is well aware of the fact that the U.S. government is concerned about the possible missile test launch.
North Korea declared a moratorium on missile test launches in 1999.
NEW YORK, June 20 (Yonhap News)
Missile moratorium stands only when in dialogue with U.S.: N.K official |
