- Title: Seoul says Pyongyang’s “new strategic weapon†unhelpful for negotiations
- Date: 1st January 2020
- Summary: SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA (FILE - OCTOBER 25, 2019) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF SEOUL GOVERNMENT COMPLEX SOUTH KOREAN GOVERNMENT FLAG FLYING
- Embargoed: 15th January 2020 05:59
- Keywords: North Korea Pyongyang Seoul South Korea new strategic weapon the Unification Ministry
- Location: SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA
- City: SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA
- Country: South Korea
- Topics: Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA002BUCAUDJ
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Seoul's Unification Ministry in charge of inter-Korean affairs said on Wednesday (January 1) that it would be unhelpful for denuclearisation negotiations if North Korea took action to introduce what it called a "new strategic weapon".
Earlier in the day, the North's state media reported that its leader Kim Jong Un plans to further develop nuclear programmes and to introduce the new strategic weapon in the near future, although he signalled there was still room for dialogue with the United States.
Seoul also said that large-scale joint military drills with the United States had been halted after Kim accused Washington of making "gangster-like demands" and maintaining a "hostile policy", such as by holding continued the joint military drills.
Kim presided over a four-day meeting of top Workers' Party officials this week amid rising tensions with the United States, which has not responded to his repeated calls for concessions to reopen negotiations.
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