U.S. correcting report defining N. Korea as nuclear power: Seoul official

SEOUL, Dec. 9 (Yonhap) -- The U.S. government said its latest defense report
categorizing North Korea as a nuclear power was wrong and is taking necessary
measures to correct it, Seoul officials said Tuesday.

The annual report, issued last month, included North Korea among five nuclear
powers on the Asian continent along with China, India, Pakistan and Russia.
"When we inquired Washington about the report this morning, it said the report
was wrong and it is taking necessary measures to correct the report," Moon
Tae-young, spokesman for the South Korea's Foreign Ministry, told reporters.
"South Korea does not acknowledge North Korea as a state possessing nuclear
weapons," he said.
The report, titled "Joint Operating Environment (JOE) 2008: Challenges and
Implications for the Future Joint Force," has stirred controversy, as it runs
counter to the U.S. government's official position.
The outgoing Bush administration has not acknowledged North Korea as a nuclear
state amid ongoing multilateral talks on ending North Korea's atomic weapons
development. Experts and policymakers continue to debate, however, over whether
the detonation should in fact be seen as a success due to its low yield.
sshim@yna.co.kr
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