North Korea official says not interested in Iran-style deal

BEIJING (AP) — The North Korean ambassador to China says that his country has no interest in an Iran-style nuclear disarmament deal because North Korea is a "nuclear weapons state."

Ji Jae Ryong told a news conference Tuesday that the Iranian nuclear deal reached earlier this month was an achievement made through protracted efforts, but that North Korea was different to Iran because it is "a nuclear weapons state both in name and in reality."

He said: "We are not interested at all in dialogue to discuss the issue of freezing or dismantling our nukes unilaterally first."

North Korea's nuclear program is a major regional concern. International talks over North Korea's nuclear disarmament have been stalled since early 2009.