N Korea to follow 'byungjin' policy, calls for peace talks with South Korea
North Korea Times
May 9, 2016

http://www.northkoreatimes.com/index.php/sid/243909905

PYONGYANG, North Korea -- During the third day of the rare ruling Workers' Party congress in Pyongyang, a decision was reportedly made to further endorse Kim Jong Un's "byungjin" policy entailing the simultaneous pursuit of nuclear expansion "in quantity and quality" and economic development.

The elusive country is also said to have decided to invigorate its self-defensive nuclear weapons capacity, in line with a previous declaration to employ nuclear power only when North Korea's sovereignty was under attack.

In a shocking turn of events, Kim Jong Un is then said to have proposed inter-Korean military talks in order to establish peace and reunify North and South Korea.

Reports state that South Korea responded negatively to the overture, and their Ministry of National Defense touted the appeal as "insincere."

Additionally, South Korea's Ministry spokesperson Moon Sang-gyun has reportedly said during a press meeting that South Korea will "continue to make efforts to push the North to give up its nuclear ambitions through strong sanctions and pressure."

Further, the Unification Ministry responded similarly and requested North Korea to work towards denuclearisation first, as both South Korea and the "international community will never accept the North as a nuclear-armed state."

Meanwhile, three Nobel Prize laureates reportedly revealed that the work of North Korean scientists is being hampered by restrictions and sanctions, after their visit to North Korea for peace talks recently.

According to reports, Richard Roberts, Finn Kydland and Aaron Ciechanover, who won Nobel prizes for medicine, economics and chemistry respectively, noted that outdated technology, lack of access to internet, and old-school methodologies have left North Korean scientists in the dust of their global counterparts.

They further recommended that the United Nations sanctions be eased as, in their words, "you cannot turn penicillin into a nuclear bomb."

According to reports, a BBC journalist, Rupert Wingfield-Hayes, was detained on May 6 while on his way to the Pyongyang Airport, and was accused of "improper reportage."

Wingfield-Hayes, who was in the country to cover the Nobel Laureate delegation's visit only, was reportedly expelled from North Korea on May 9 after writing an apology, and has been banned from re-entering.

Reports added that the secretary-general of North Korea's National Peace Commission O Ryong Il said that the news broadcasted by the journalist "spoke ill of the system and the leadership of the country."