N Korea logic: Atom bomb will help cut army, save funds

agency said if the US did not give up what it described as its hostile policy Pyongyang would have no choice but to have a nuclear deterrent.

‘‘We are not trying to possess a nuclear deterrent in order to blackmail others but we are trying to reduce conventional weapons and divert our human and monetary resources to economic development and improve the living standards of the people,’’ KCNA said. A commentary on KCNA clearly has high-level approval.

In Tokyo, before the KCNA commentary was published, South Korean President Roh Moo-Hyun told Japan’s parliament his country would not tolerate North Korea possessing nuclear weapons but called for a peaceful resolution to the problem.

Yu Suk-Ryul, a professor at the Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security in Seoul, said the KCNA commentary seemed intended to play up the North’s economic difficulties and underscore its desire for bilateral talks with the US about its nuclear ambitions.

‘‘Because North Korea admitted officially it possesses nuclear weapons, now they can give reasons based on that,’’ he said. Many economists say the North’s economy is close to collapse despite — or even because of — piecemeal reforms. Many people are malnourished, aid groups say.

There was no immediate reaction from Washington, Seoul or Tokyo, but the US was unlikely to welcome linkage between nuclear and conventional weapons and cash. All three countries have offered aid if the North drops its nuclear plans.

Paik Jin-Hyun, a professor at Seoul National University said the North’s arguments were not persuasive.

‘‘No one would believe that North Korea has developed nuclear arms for those reasons,’’ he said. ‘‘This is another absurd comment from North Korea.’’ (Reuters)