N Korean leader 'irresponsible'

2005-05-30 12:41

Washington - United States (US) vice-president Richard Cheney launched a personal attack on North Korean leader Kim Jong II on Sunday, calling him an irresponsible leader, who "doesn't take care" about his people as he strives for nuclear power status for his country.

The comments, made in an interview with CNN's "Larry King Live" program due to be aired late on Monday, marked an escalation of the US rhetoric toward Pyongyang as the administration of US President George W Bush is stepping up diplomatic pressure to make Pyongyang return to six-party talks focused on North Korea's nuclear ambitions.

North Korea has refused to attend a fourth round of these talks that were to have taken place last September because of what it described as a "hostile" US attitude.

The negotiations in addition to the US and North Korea involve China, Russia, South Korea and Japan have been stalled since then.

A Russian delegation that returned from Pyongyang earlier this month said North Koreans want the Bush administration to apologise for publicly branding Kim a "tyrant" and their country "an outpost of tyranny".

But according to excerpts of the interview released by the TV channel, Cheney made clear Pyongyang should not expect any softening of the US tone, let alone an apology.

"I am concerned about it," Cheney said of the stalled negotiations, "Partly because Kim Jong II, who's the leader of North Korea, is — I would describe as one of the world's more irresponsible leaders."

The vice president accused Kim of running a police state and one of the most heavily militarised societies in the world while the bulk of the North Korean population lived in abject poverty.

"He doesn't take care of his people at all," Cheney continued. "And he obviously wants to throw his weight around and become a nuclear power."

- AFP