S. Korea raises concerns over N. Korea's nuclear weapons at UN disarmament conference

Over in Geneva.

A fresh war of words between the two Koreas took place at the latest UN forum on arms control with South Korea underscoring North Korea's blatant defiance of UN Security Council resolutions and the regime finding fault with joint military drills between Seoul and Washington.

Lee Seung-jae has more.

The UN Conference on Disarmament was held on Tuesday in Geneva, Switzerland, with much of the attention on North Korea.

At the meeting North Korean ambassador to the U.N. office in Geneva Jo Chol-su slammed the U.S. for conducting aerial intelligence activities against the regime since the beginning of the year.

He further criticized the simulated nuclear war exercises being conducted on the Korean Peninsula, and U.S.' strategic bombers being deployed to the region.

Jo said that U.S. political and military provocations are what's causing armed conflicts and undermining regional stability.

He further stressed that a strong national defense force is the only way to protect peace, and vowed to deter all military provocations by "hostile forces."

The envoy concluded his remarks by saying, that as a "responsible nuclear state", the North will continue its efforts to prevent all forms of war and protect peace and stability.

In response, Kim Il-hoon, counselor at South Korea's Permanent Mission to Geneva pointed out that North Korea not only provide Russia with a large quantity of lethal weapons and ballistic missiles, a violation of UN Security Council resolutions, but also dispatched more than 11 thousand troops.

Kim pointed out the recent capture of two North Korean soldiers, as evidence of North Korea's participation in the Ukraine War.

He also stressed that North Korea lowering its threshold for a nuclear attack is a "present-day threat," adding that it goes against peace and stability in the region.

However, Kim still emphasized the importance of holding talks, saying that the only way North Korea can benefit is through dialogue and diplomacy.

Lee Seung-jae, Arirang News.