THE KOREAS & THE US: S Korean gov't: S Korea, U.S. do not see DPRK as nuclear power

SEOUL, April 12 (Xinhua) -- Seoul's foreign ministry said Monday South Korea and the United States do not recognize the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) as a nuclear power, playing down U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's recent remark that Pyongyang possesses up to six nuclear weapons.

"The international community, including South Korea and the U.S. , has maintained a firm position that North Korea (DPRK) cannot obtain nuclear power status," the ministry spokesman Kim Young-sun told reporters in a press briefing.

Kim's remark comes in apparent contrast with Clinton's description last week of the DPRK as a country that has already acquired up to six nuclear weapons, despite the U.S. government's official position not to acknowledge Pyongyang as a nuclear weapons state.