URGENT: North Korea says it will conduct nuclear test

PYONGYANG, N. Korea (CNN) — North Korea, citing American belligerence and pressure, said Tuesday it will conduct a nuclear test.

Update: North Korea

The North Korean Foreign Ministry issued the comment in a statement published by the Korean Central News Agency, or KCNA — the communist country’s official news agency.

“The field of scientific research of the DPRK will in the future conduct a nuclear test under the condition where safety is firmly guaranteed,” the statement said.

DPRK is the acronym for North Korea’s official name.

“The U.S. extreme threat of a nuclear war and sanctions and pressure compel the DPRK to conduct a nuclear test, an essential process for bolstering nuclear deterrent, as a corresponding measure for defense.”

Six-party talks on the country’s nuclear program have stalled, and North Korea test-fired missiles in July.

“The DPRK’s nuclear weapons will serve as reliable war deterrent for protecting the supreme interests of the state and the security of the Korean nation from the U.S. threat of aggression and averting a new war and firmly safeguarding peace and stability on the Korean peninsula under any circumstances.”

At the same time, North Korea said it would back “nuclear non-proliferation as a responsible nuclear weapons state” and do all it can “to realize the denuclearization of the peninsula and give impetus to the world-wide nuclear disarmament and the ultimate elimination of nuclear weapons.”

” The ultimate goal of the DPRK is not a ‘denuclearization” to be followed by its unilateral disarmament but one aimed at settling the hostile relations between the DPRK and the U.S. and removing the very source of all nuclear threats from the Korean Peninsula and its vicinity.”

A date and time for the test was not issued.

The country said it “officially announced that it manufactured up-to-date nuclear weapons after going through transparent legitimate processes to cope with the U.S. escalated threat of a nuclear war and sanctions and pressure. The already declared possession of nuclear weapons presupposes the nuclear test.”

The country said it would “never use nuclear weapons first but strictly prohibit any threat of nuclear weapons and nuclear transfer.” (Posted 6:44 a.m.)

Korea Nuclear Test (scroll down to article.)