North Korea said yesterday it would not observe "indefinitely" its agreement with the US not to launch long-range missiles, and issued a new demand for hard currency in exchange for halting exports.
Famine-struck North Korea issued the warning in response to what it described as a "hardline stance" taken by the US administration of new President George W. Bush.
"We will not remain a passive onlooker to the things which only hamstring our scientific and technological development. We are always ready for all events," the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) quoted a North Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman as saying.
Unpredictable North Korea test-fired a three-stage missile in August 1998, part of which flew over Japan, fueling speculation that it was preparing to launch soon another longer-range missile with the capacity to reach as far as Alaska and Hawaii.
A year later North Korea promised the US it would not proceed with further testing of its long-range Taepodong ballistic missile, and Washington quickly lifted some trade barriers against Pyongyang a half-century after the Korean War.
"We decided not to launch long-range missiles while the missile negotiations are under way but we will not indefinitely maintain this moratorium," the North Korean spokesman said.
The statement carried on KCNA was monitored in Tokyo.
`Seriously mistaken'
While refusing to accept a series of North Korean proposals, the US was pressing Pyongyang to move unilaterally and lay down its arms, the spokesman said.
"In other words, it wants the DPRK [North Korea] to totally disarm itself first. The US is seriously mistaken if it thinks that Pyongyang will accept its demand," he said.
Washington is particularly concerned about suspected transfers of North Korean missile technology and hardware to Iran, which US intelligence sources say is developing its own long-range missiles and could begin to test intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) capable of striking the US within the next 10 years.
The US Central Intelligence Agency ranks North Korea as the world's biggest exporter of ballistic missiles, and defense analysts say Pakistan, Iran, Iraq and Syria are among nations that have been on the receiving end.
Currency needs
"We might stop the missile export if the relevant compensation is made in hard currency because the missile export is aimed to earn foreign currency," the North Korean spokesman said. "But the new US administration is not poised to seriously study the issue."
Experts believe North Korea sells weapons including missiles and missile parts for up to US$1 billion each year.
The US has used an "engagement approach" to deal with North Korea since 1994, when it determined the Stalinist state had produced enough plutonium at a nuclear facility for one or two bombs.
Enemies since the 1950-53 Korean War, the two sides signed an "Agreed Framework" in 1994 under which North Korea froze its nuclear weapons program in return for a US pledge to provide two nuclear power reactors and oil supplies worth US$5 billion.
By the end of President Bill Clinton's second term, North Korean leader Kim Jong-il had offered to stop developing missiles in exchange for promises of foreign help in launching satellites.
The US was interested, but did not have time to clinch a deal before the end of Clinton's term.
Washington has said the recent thaw in tensions on the Korean peninsula, which culminated in a summit last June between the North Korean leader and South Korean President Kim Dae-jung, would not lead to a pull-out of the 37,000 US troops in South Korea.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source
SHOT IN THE ARM: The new system can be integrated with Avenger and Stinger missiles to bolster regional air defense capabilities, a defense ministry report said Domestically developed Land Sword II (陸射劍二) missiles were successfully launched and hit target drones during a live-fire exercise at the Jiupeng Military Base in Pingtung County yesterday. The missiles, developed by the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology (CSIST), were originally scheduled to launch on Tuesday last week, after the Tomb Sweeping Day holiday long weekend, but were postponed to yesterday due to weather conditions. Local residents and military enthusiasts gathered outside the base to watch the missile tests, with the first one launching at 9:10am. The Land Sword II system, which is derived from the Sky Sword II (天劍二) series, was turned