N Korea to Continue Developing Nuclear Program to Prevent US Aggression

North Korea will continue developing its nuclear program to guarantee its security in the world where the United States threatens and attacks other nations that do not possess nuclear weapons, Co-President of the International Peace Bureau (IPB) disarmament NGO Reiner Braun told Sputnik Tuesday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) announced on Monday that it had received indications confirming that North Korea has reactivated a five-megawatt reactor at the Yongbyon Nuclear Scientific Research Center that could be used to make a nuclear weapon.

"North Korea will continue to develop its nuclear program because it believes that nuclear weapons is the only insurance for its survival knowing that for the last 15 years the United States was attacking countries and all these countries did not have nuclear arms," Braun, who is also a member of International Association of Lawyers Against Nuclear Arms (IALANA), said.

According to Braun, tougher sanctions against Pyongyang will not solve the problem. A radical reduction of nuclear weapons worldwide and efforts to energize talks on solving regional disputes are needed to address militarization of the Asia-Pacific region.

North Korea declared itself a nuclear power in 2005, and has conducted several underground nuclear weapon tests since then, raising concerns worldwide, and especially in its neighboring states.

Tensions over North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programs escalated after Pyongyang said on January 6 that it had successfully carried out a hydrogen bomb test and put a satellite into orbit on February 7, violating UN Security Council resolutions and triggering condemnation from the international community in both cases.