North Korea urged to give up nuclear weapons

SOUTH Korea urged North Korea yesterday to give up its nuclear programme after US officials said the communist state told Washington it had atomic bombs and could make more.

The head of South Korea’s delegation at talks in Pyongyang said the North’s declared possession of nuclear weapons was a security threat that broke a 1991 nuclear-free declaration seen as a cornerstone of ties between the neighbours.

South Korean Unification Minister Jeong Se-hyun underscored the US demand made at talks in Beijing last week, pool reports from Pyongyang said.