North Korea said it would not abandon its...
and safe storage of nuclear materials," the memorandum reads.The six-party talks involving the two Koreas, China, the United States, Russia and Japan came to a halt last April when North Korea walked out of negotiations in protest against the United Nations" condemnation of its missile tests.
"Regardless of whether the six-party talks resume or not, we, as ever, will make consistent efforts for the global denuclearization, including on the Korean Peninsula," the ministry said.
"The mission of Korea"s nuclear forces is to contain and repel aggression and a [nuclear] strike against the country and the nation until the Korean Peninsula and the world are completely nuclear-free," the memorandum reads.
The announcement comes amid media reports that the communist state, which is banned from conducting nuclear or ballistic tests under UN Resolution 1718, was preparing to carry out its third nuclear test.