North Korea must be held accountable if it chooses to escalate a nuclear arms race in east Asia, Barack Obama, the US president, warned yesterday.
In his first speech to the United Nations General Assembly in New York, in which he encouraged all nations to co-operate with the US to address global challenges, he singled out North Korea as a potential threat, along with Iran.
“If the governments of Iran and North Korea choose to ignore international standards; if they put the pursuit of nuclear weapons ahead of regional stability and the security and opportunity of their own people; if they are oblivious to the dangers of escalating nuclear arms races in both east Asia and the Middle East – then they must be held accountable,” Mr Obama said.