North Korea wants a US apology for calling it an outpost of tyranny as a precondition for returning to nuclear talks, its senior envoy to the United Nations was quoted as saying today.
The demand was made as he elaborated on an extensive statement issued yesterday by the North that called for six-party talks aimed at ending its nuclear programmes to be turned into comprehensive disarmament talks.
Pyongyang said that since it was a nuclear state, it must now be treated as being on an equal footing with the United States.
"The conditions and justification for the six-party talks must be set up correctly, and that is for the United States to sincerely apologise for the 'outpost of tyranny' comment and withdraw it," the North's deputy UN ambassador, Han Song-ryol, was quoted as saying by Yonhap news agency.
"This is an issue that the United States must apologise explicitly for," Mr Han was quoted as saying, rejecting recent conciliatory comments US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice made during a recent swing through Asia.
Ms Rice has said Washington recognised the North as a sovereign state but refused to apologise for the "outpost of tyranny" comment she made during confirmation hearings in January.