The discussion of North Korea’s nuclear program and its weapons arsenal, which is solely aimed at the United States, would negatively impact inter-Korean ties, a North Korean official said on Tuesday while finishing up talks with the South.
“North Korea’s weapons are only aimed at the United States, not our brethren, China or Russia,” said Ri Son Gwon, head of North Korea’s delegation at the first inter-Korean talks in more than two years.
Ri added that Pyongyang’s nuclear program was not an issue between North and South Korea.
However, North Korea has a massive artillery of guns and rockets lined up along the border of South Korea, many of them within range of Seoul, according to Popular Mechanics.
“These perfectly positioned offensive artillery firing positions are virtually impenetrable, extremely difficult to take out by counterfire,” retired U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Robert H. Scales told the Huffington Post.
On Tuesday, North and South Korea has their first official dialog in more than two years on Tuesday. The nations agreed on negotiations to resolve problems and military talks aimed at averting accidental conflict.
In a joint statement after the 11-hour talks, the North pledged to send a large delegation to next month’s Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in the South but made a ‘strong complaint’ after Seoul proposed talks to denuclearize the Korean peninsula.
The talks had been closely watched by world leaders keen for any sign of a reduction in tension, as fears grow over the North’s missile launches and development of nuclear weapons, in defiance of United Nations Security Council resolutions.