N. Korea urges U.S. to normalize relations before it gives up nuke

SEOUL, Jan. 13 (Yonhap) -- North Korea said Tuesday that the United States should
first normalize relations with Pyongyang as a precondition for its
denuclearization.

The nuclear dispute was "caused by the U.S. hostile policy toward (North) Korea
and the subsequent nuclear threat and it's not the nuclear dispute that caused
the hostile relations," North Korea's foreign ministry spokesman said in a
statement carried by Pyongyang's Korean Central News Agency.
The statement came with just a week to go before the new U.S. administration of
President-elect Barack Obama takes over.
"There will be no such case in 100 years' time that we will hand over our nuclear
weapons first without the fundamental settlement of the U.S. hostile policy
toward (North) Korea and its nuclear threat," the spokesman said.
hkim@yna.co.kr
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