North Korea today rejected a US-backed proposal on ending a crisis over its nuclear weapons programme, and warned that Washington’s “strategy of delaying talks” would only prompt it to step up its nuclear activities.

NORTH KOREA said yesterday the proposed realignment of US forces in South Korea was a prelude to Washington’s plan to launch nuclear war against the communist country.

North Korea acknowledged today that it has a nuclear weapons programme and said it would never give it up without US concessions.

North Korea today warned that if the United States attacked the country the conflict would turn into a nuclear war and cause “nuclear disasters” in Asia and the entire world.

North Korea today warned that a US pre-emptive attack on the North’s nuclear facilities would trigger a “full-scale war” on the volatile Korean Peninsula, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency said.