Published: January 13, 2009 07:20 am      

North Korea won't give up nuclear weapons

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea says it will hold onto its nuclear weapons as long as the U.S. backs South Korea with its own atomic arsenal.

The North has long accused Washington of hiding nuclear weapons in South Korea for a possible attack on the communist nation. Both the South and the U.S. deny the accusations.

Pyongyang’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement Tuesday that it wouldn’t need its own arsenal once “the U.S. nuclear umbrella over South Korea is gone.”

Five regional powers have been trying to persuade North Korea to abandon its nuclear program but the talks have been stalled for months.