North Korea demands to be recognized as a nuclear power

The DPRK rejects demands from South Korea and the United States to curtail its nuclear program and insists on recognizing itself as a nuclear power, the central North Korean newspaper Nodong Sinmun wrote on Tuesday.

“If the DPRK sits down at the negotiating table with the United States, it should be a dialogue between nuclear powers, and not forcing one of the parties to nuclear disarmament,” the report notes.

Earlier, US President Barack Obama said that dialogue between the United States, South Korea and the DPRK could be continued if Pyongyang abandoned its “provocative behavior.”

US Secretary of State John Kerry said that he was ready for contacts with North Korea, provided that it takes steps to abandon nuclear weapons.

In February, North Koreaconducted a third nuclear test in violation of UN resolutions, which caused a strong reaction from the world community. Joint military exercises with the United States have begun in South Korea. In response, North Korea began maneuvers with its naval submarine forces and also announced that it would cancel the armistice agreement with its southern neighbor if the exercises did not stop. In March, North Korea threatened the United States with a preemptive nuclear strike , and then announced that it was ready for war with South Korea .