North Korea says it will speed up nuke program in response to US

North Korea's Foreign Ministry says the country will speed up measures to bolster its nuclear program "at the maximum pace" in response to the new US policy that calls for new sanctions and "maximum pressure and engagement."

A statement from the Foreign Ministry spokesman yesterday that was circulated by North Korea's UN Mission says the government is ready to respond to any option taken by the United States.It says that during



recent US-South Korean military drills, "US aggression hysteria" reached its highest point and the situation on the Korean peninsula inched closer "to the brink of nuclear war." 

It says that unless Washington ends its "hostile policy" and nuclear threats, North Korea "will continue to bolster its military capabilities for self-defence and pre-emptive nuclear attack" despite "manifold difficulties.