"As we have declared already, we will carry out our responsbility to achieve the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula," a foreign ministry spokesman said, quoted by the agency.

"However we will deliver merciless blows without hesitation to whoever tries to breach our sovereignty and right to survive under the excuse of carrying out the UN Security Council resolution," he said.

"We will watch US movements and take corresponding action."

All rights reserved. © 2005 Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse.