MOSCOW, December 19 (RIA Novosti) - North Korea will develop its nuclear capabilities to defend its sovereignty, a spokesman for the country's Foreign Ministry said Monday.
The statement came in response to the UN General Assembly's condemnation on December 16 of the human rights situation in the country.
According to the North Korean statement circulated by the Korean Central News Agency, as long as the United States pursues a hostile policy of isolating and destroying the country, using the nuclear issue or human rights as a pretext, the North Korean government will consolidate its defence capabilities, including the nuclear deterrent.
North Korea announced in February that it was developing nuclear weapons to defend itself against a threat from the U.S.
The UN General Assembly's resolution urged Pyongyang to put an end to torture, public executions, forced labor, and abuse of repatriated North Koreans. The document also called on the North Korean authorities to allow international observers into the country to monitor the situation with human rights and freedoms.
According to South Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo, the resolution is of symbolic importance and will lay the basis for further debates on the subject in the UN.
Pyongyang has accused the United States, the European Union, and Japan of pushing the resolution through as part of a hostile policy directed against the North Korean leadership.
