North Korea could carry out another nuclear test if the launch of its long-range rocket leads to the expected suspension of U.S. food aid, a pro-North newspaper in Japan said on Wednesday.
North Korea
could
carry out another nuclear test if the launch of its long-range rocket leads to
the expected suspension of
U.S.
food
aid, a pro-North newspaper in
Japan
said
on Wednesday.
North Korea
says
that it will launch a satellite between April 12 and 16 but the
United
States
,
South
Korea
and other nations see it as a
pretext for a long-range missile test, which is banned by the United Nations.
Pyongyang
in February agreed to suspend
operations at its Yongbyon uranium enrichment plant and impose a moratorium on
long-range missile tests and nuclear tests, in return for 240,000 tons of
U.S.
food
aid.
Washington
said
last week it was suspending plans to start food deliveries in light of the
imminent rocket launch.
In return, the North may also row back on its nuclear pledge, said the Choson
Sinbo newspaper, which generally reflects
Pyongyang
's
official thinking.
"
North Korea
's
commitment to a temporary moratorium on nuclear tests, long-range missile
launches and uranium enrichment activity can be cancelled," it said.
The
U.S.
aid
move amounts to "turning the clock back to post-April 2009", Choson
Sinbo said, referring to the North's second nuclear test in May 2009, a month
after it launched a long-range rocket.
North Korea
will
never give up its planned satellite launch, the newspaper said.
The North is preparing mass celebrations to mark the 100th anniversary on April
15 of the birth of Kim Il-Sung, the country's first and "eternal"
president and founder of the dynasty which has ruled uninterrupted since 1948.
A successful satellite launch would burnish the image of his grandson Kim
Jong-Un as he seeks to establish his credentials as a strong leader.
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