Seoul: N. Korea must shed nukes for peace

SEOUL, June 29 (UPI) -- Peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula can be achieved only if North Korea ends its nuclear program, South Korea's prime minister said Monday.

During a ceremony commemorating a 2002 naval skirmish between the Koreas, Prime Minister Han Seung-soo said peace and stability "can only be promoted through the denuclearization" of the peninsula, the South Korean Yonhap News Agency reported.

"We can never tolerate North Korea's nuclear development," Han said. "It is actively unleashing blunt rhetoric that warns of an armed provocation."

South Korea has not had nuclear weapons on its soil since the 1990s, when the United States withdrew its tactical nuclear weapons.

North Korea has conducted two known nuclear tests and test-fired many missiles. Media reports indicate Pyongyang may be preparing to test-launch an intercontinental ballistic missile. In addition, North Korea has pulled out of the multi-nation talks on its nuclear dismantlement and expelled international monitors from its main nuclear facilities.