US 'misusing North Korea aid'

Millions of North Koreans depend on food aid

North Korea has accused the United States of using humanitarian aid as a political weapon.

The comments follow a row over what the United States says is a secret North Korean nuclear weapons programme.

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A US-led international consortium suspended fuel-oil shipments to the country after accusing Pyongyang of developing nuclear weapons in violation of a 1994 agreement.

For its part, North Korea has announced it is resuming its old nuclear programme, which could be used to produce nuclear weapons.

At the weekend, Pyongyang also stepped pressure on the UN, demanding that its atomic watchdog remove seals and surveillance cameras from its nuclear facilities.

In its second letter in three days to the International Atomic Energy Agency, North Korea warned that it was prepared to remove the monitoring equipment itself if its request was not met without delay.

Click here to see a map of key nuclear sites

The US said earlier this month that future food aid should be linked to Pyongyang's willingness to open more of the country to international workers to monitor aid distribution.

In its statement on Monday, Pyongyang said it would reject any aid linked to what it called Washington's "sinister political aim".

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"The US is obstructing aid by every possible means and method, even politicising it," the statement said.

The Foreign Ministry said it would "as always warmly welcome disinterested aid" from donor countries and international organisations, but would never accept any help tied to "political conditions".

North Korea has been highly dependent on foreign aid since 1995, following a series of natural disasters and economic collapse.

Analysts say that the halting of fuel aid could mean that hundreds of thousands of people will have to survive with less electricity during the harsh North Korean winter. It also comes at a time when international food aid appears to be falling.

The UN's food programme says it has been forced to cut back aid to up to three million people because of the downturn in donations.

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	Yongbyon: Site includes a 5-MWe experimental nuclear power reactor and a partially completed plutonium extraction facility. The US believes the reactor and extraction plant have been used to produce plutonium - possibly enough for 1 or 2 nuclear weapons. Activities at site frozen under 1994 Agreed Framework Taechon: 200-MWe nuclear power reactor - construction halted under Agreed Framework Pyongyang: Laboratory-scale "hot cells" that may have been used to extract small quantities of plutonium Kumho: Site of two 1,000-MWe light water reactors under construction by Kedo

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