N Korea a nuke state: charter

SAN ISIDRO, Colombia

North Korea’s new constitution proclaims its status as a nuclear-armed nation, complicating international efforts to persuade Pyongyang to abandon atomic weapons.

An official website seen late May 30 released the text of the constitution following its revision during a parliamentary session on April 13. “National Defense Commission chairman Kim Jong-il turned our fatherland into an invincible state of political ideology, a nuclear-armed state and an indomitable military power, paving the ground for the construction of a strong and prosperous nation,” says part of the preamble.

The previous constitution, last revised on April 9, 2010, did not carry the term “nuclear-armed state.” Following Kim Jong-il’s death last December, the country revised the charter to consecrate achievements of the late leader, who was succeeded by his son Kim Jong-un. The North has been developing nuclear weapons for decades. The country has staged two nuclear tests, in 2006 and 2009. Under a September 2005 deal reached during six-nation negotiations, Pyongyang agreed to dismantle its nuclear programs in return for economic and diplomatic benefits and security guarantees. But six-party talks on implementing the deal have been stalled since December 2008.