SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea said Thursday it will never unilaterally give up its nuclear weapons unless the United States first removes what Pyongyang called a nuclear threat. The latest from North Korea comes as the United States and North Korea struggle over the sequencing of the denuclearization that Washington wants and the removal of international sanctions desired by Pyongyang. The statement suggests North Korea will demand the United States withdraw or significantly reduce the 28,500 American troops stationed in South Korea, a major sticking point in any disarmament deal. The United States removed its tactical nuclear weapons from South Korea in the 1990s. “The corresponding measures we have asked the United States to take aren’t difficult for the United States to commit to and carry out.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer December 20, 2018 09:33 UTC