By DPA
Seoul : North Korea vowed in a New Year’s message Tuesday to strengthen its military and economy but did not mention its failure to meet a year-end deadline to disable its main nuclear site and provide a declaration of its nuclear facilities, materials and programmes.
It demanded, however, that archrival the US, which is involved in talks with North Korea on its nuclear programme along with four other countries, end its “hostile” policy towards Pyongyang.
“We should constantly increase the military strength of our republic by holding fast to the Party’s Songun-based revolutionary line,” said the message carried in the country’s official newspapers.
It referred to the military-first doctrine of North Korea, which, although impoverished, has the world’s fourth-largest army.
“The entire party, the whole country and all the people should launch a general offensive to build an economic power,” the message said.
However, the aid-dependent nation, which has suffered from famine and disasters that have affected agriculture, admitted: “At present, there is no more urgent and important task than solving the problem of food.”
The message was released a day after the US, South Korea and Japan expressed concern that North Korea had not met its year-end nuclear deadlines.
North Korea pledged to disable its nuclear facility at Yongbyon, 100 km north of Pyongyang, and present a list detailing its nuclear programme by Monday as part of nuclear talks with the US, South Korea, China, Japan and Russia. In return, it is receiving energy and economic aid.