Rice Cautions North Korea Against Nuclear Missile Launch

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice issued a stark warning to North Korea on Tuesday, saying that firing a nuclear-armed missile would threaten the country's own security rather than strengthen it.

Her remarks came after an unidentified North Korean official, quoted by South Korea's Yonhap news agency, suggested Pyongyang might launch a nuclear-tipped missile unless Washington offered concessions in the ongoing dispute over its weapons program.

Rice, speaking in a CNN interview, indicated the North Korean government understood the consequences of such an action. She added that the US has no plans to attack or invade North Korea, a point she said the regime already understood.

The exchange followed North Korea's announcement on Monday that it had successfully conducted its first nuclear test, drawing widespread international condemnation and prompting the United Nations to begin weighing sanctions against Pyongyang.

Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in October 2006, in its own words.