NKorea misses nuclear disclosure deadline

PYONGYANG, North Korea, Jan. 1 (UPI) -- North Korea missed a year-end deadline on its denuclearization but didn't explain its failure to meet the six-party condition in its New Year's message.

Under the deadline arranged with the United States, Russia, China, South Korea and Japan, North Korea was to have disabled its key nuclear facilities at Yongbyon and made full disclosure of all its nuclear programs by Dec. 31 in exchange for economic aid.

In its New Year statement Tuesday, North Korea vowed to strengthen its military and economy but made no mention of the deadline issue, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported.

North Korea also repeated its demand that the United States end its military presence in South Korea.

While disappointed by North Korea's failure to comply with the deadline, South Korea, the United States and Japan said talks will continue to disarm the communist state, the report said.

The delay apparently resulted from U.S. claims that the North has not disclosed a second nuclear weapons program using enriched uranium, which North Korea denies.