PYONGYANG, North Korea, Jan. 9 (UPI) -- North Korea said Friday the United States is mistaken if it thinks Pyongyang will follow Libya and rid itself of its weapons of mass destruction programs.
"To expect any 'change' from (North Korea's) stand is as foolish as expecting a shower from a clear sky," a spokesman for the North Korean Foreign Ministry told the official Korean Central News Agency.
The spokesman's remarks came in response to what the news agency said were U.S. attempts to link recent developments in the Middle East to issues involving North Korea.
"This is nothing but a folly of imbeciles utterly ignorant of (North Korea's) independent policy," the spokesman said.
The United States has said if North Korea, like Libya, chooses to voluntarily dismantle its weapons of mass destruction, it would very rapidly find itself integrated into the community of East Asia, the Kyodo news agency said.
Despite U.S. assurances it does not seek regime change in North Korea, Pyongyang says it needs its weapons to ensure its security.
