SEOUL (Reuters) – U.S. President Barack Obama vowed on Monday to pursue further strategic arms cuts with Russia as part of his broader nuclear disarmament agenda even as he issued stern warnings to North Korea and Iran in their nuclear standoffs with the West.

Speaking ahead of a global nuclear security summit in Seoul, Obama held out the prospect of new reductions in the U.S. arsenal as he sought to rally world leaders for additional concrete steps against the threat of nuclear terrorism.

“We can already say with confidence that we have more nuclear weapons than we need,” Obama told students at South Korea’s Hankuk University.

He pledged a new arms-control push with incoming Russian president Vladimir Putin when they meet in May. But any further reductions would face stiff election-year opposition from Republicans in Congress who already accuse him of weakening America’s nuclear deterrent.

Obama laid out his latest strategy against the backdrop of continued nuclear defiance from North Korea and Iran, twin challenges that have clouded his overall nuclear agenda as well as the summit getting under way in Seoul.

Obama set expectations high in a 2009 speech in Prague when he declared it was time to seek “a world without nuclear weapons”. He acknowledged at the time it was a long-term goal, but his high-flown oratory helped him win the Nobel Peace Prize.

In Seoul on Monday, Obama made clear that he remained committed to that notion and insisted that “those who deride our vision, who say that ours is an impossible goal that will be forever out of reach”, were wrong.

SEOUL (Reuters) – North Korea said on Saturday it will hold a special parliamentary session next month during which the reclusive country’s new young leader, Kim Jong-un, is expected to be given a top title aimed at consolidating his grip on power.

The North has planned a series of events next month to mark the centenary of the birth of the state’s founder, Kim Il-sung, including a rare ruling party conference and the controversial launch of a ballistic rocket it says will carry a satellite.

Experts say the young Kim, believed to be in his mid to late 20s, could be given two of the countries’ senior most titles during the celebrations — secretary general of the party and chairman of the defense commission.

The North’s state media said on Saturday the Supreme People’s Assembly, which has the formal mandate to appoint the chief of the National Defence Commission, the state’s supreme military body, would meet on April 13.

The Workers’ Party conference is also scheduled for the middle of next month.

The young Kim’s appointment to the top posts would cement his position as paramount leader and ease lingering fears of a power struggle plunging the country into turmoil.

Kim took power after his father died in December and many analysts had feared a chaotic succession.

SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korea said on Wednesday world leaders visiting Seoul for a nuclear summit next week will discuss North Korea and Iran’s “illegitimate” atomic activities, angering the North that said such talk would be a “declaration of war”.

Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan told Reuters that while nuclear weapons and proliferation issues were not on the formal agenda at the Nuclear Security Summit in Seoul from Monday, Iran and North Korea would clearly be key issues on the sidelines.

“There is no question that international community has serious concerns about the illegitimate nuclear activities of North Korea and Iran,” he said in a written interview.

“As major leaders including leaders of the participating countries in the six-party talks will attend the Seoul summit, the North Korean nuclear issue will naturally be discussed on the separate occasions such bilateral talks on the margins of the summit,” he said, adding dozens of such meetings had been planned.

Along with South Korean host President Lee Myung-bak, leaders from four other six party states — U.S. President Barack Obama, China’s Hu Jintao, Russia’s Dmitry Medvedev and Japan’s Yoshihiko Noda — will be in Seoul for the two-day summit.

North Korea will not attend the summit and its pursuit of nuclear program and ballistic missile program had not been on the formal agenda, but the announcement of a long-range rocket launch in April is now expected to take centre stage.

North Korea will consider it a “provocation” if its “nuclear issue is placed on the agenda at the Seoul summit” and if any statement is issued against the North for pursuing such a program, its official KCNA news agency said.

SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korea on Monday condemned rival North Korea’s planned rocket launch as a “grave provocation”, saying it was a disguised attempt to develop a long-range ballistic missile capable of delivering nuclear weapons.

Seoul also extended a security alert in the capital, and said it was concerned the North might follow the ballistic missile launch with another nuclear test.

The North announced on Friday it would put a satellite into orbit next month barely two weeks after reaching an agreement with Washington to suspend long-range missile launches as part of a deal to restart food aid.

“Our government defines North Korea’s so-called working satellite launch plan as a grave provocation to develop a long-distance delivery means for nuclear weapons by using ballistic missile technology,” presidential spokesman Park Jung-ha said in a statement.

Washington says the North’s long-range ballistic missile program is progressing quickly, and last year said the American mainland could come under threat within five years.

The secretive North has twice tested a nuclear device, but experts doubt whether it yet has the ability to miniaturize an atomic bomb to place atop a warhead.

Pyongyang is believed to have enough fissile material to make up to a dozen nuclear bombs, and in 2010 unveiled a uranium enrichment facility to go with its plutonium program which opened a second route to making an atomic weapon.

SEOUL (Reuters) – North Korea said on Friday it will launch a long-range rocket carrying a “working” satellite to mark the centenary of founder Kim Il-sung’s birth next month, sparking condemnation from the United States and others that it was in breach of a U.N. resolution.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the announcement was highly provocative and called upon Pyongyang to honor its obligations including U.N. Security Council resolutions banning ballistic missile launches.

“Such a missile launch would pose a threat to regional security and would also be inconsistent with North Korea’s recent undertaking to refrain from long-range missile launches,” she said in a statement.

The North, which said recently it would suspend long-range missile testing as part of talks with the United States, pledged that next month’s launch would not impact neighboring countries.

Experts said the launch was clearly another long-range missile test, and could be seen as an act of brinkmanship to pressure Washington into more talks in return for aid.

South Korea, which is still technically at war with the North after signing only an armistice to end the 1950-53 Korean War, and Japan said the ballistic launch threatened regional security.

Any launch by North Korea, whether for a satellite or not, that uses ballistic missile technology violates Security Council resolutions, the Japanese government said.

SEOUL (Reuters) – North Korea said on Friday it will launch a “working” satellite to mark the centenary of founder Kim Il-sung’s birth next month, prompting immediate fears from Japan it would in fact be another long-range missile launch in breach of a U.N. resolution.

In April 2009, a long-range missile test failed when its first stage fell into the Sea of Japan without orbiting a satellite, provoking outrage in Tokyo, which had threatened to shoot down any debris or rocket that threatened its territory.

Another test failed in similar circumstances in 1998.

Experts said the latest launch was clearly another long-range missile test, designed to pressure Washington into advancing stalled nuclear disarmament negotiations.

The North, which said recently it would suspend long-range missile testing as part of talks with the United States, said on Friday it had already launched two experimental satellites.

Japan’s Foreign Ministry said the new launch would be a violation of a U.N. Security Council resolution, according to Jiji news service. There was no immediate comment from officials in Seoul about the latest rocket launch.

Foreign officials have also said the secretive state’s past launches are disguised long-range missile tests. The North said it would be a satellite launched southwards from a base near its west coast and would have no impact on neighbouring countries, saying the launch was for “peaceful purposes”.

SEOUL (Reuters) – North Korea said on Friday it will launch a “working” satellite to mark the centenary of founder Kim Il-sung’s birth next month, prompting immediate fears from Japan it would in fact be another long-range missile launch in breach of a U.N. resolution.

In April 2009, a long-range missile test failed when its first stage fell into the Sea of Japan without orbiting a satellite, provoking outrage in Tokyo, which had threatened to shoot down any debris or rocket that threatened its territory.

Another test failed in similar circumstances in 1998.

Experts said the latest launch was clearly another long-range missile test, designed to pressure Washington into advancing stalled nuclear disarmament negotiations.

The North, which said recently it would suspend long-range missile testing as part of talks with the United States, said on Friday it had already launched two experimental satellites.

Japan’s Foreign Ministry said the new launch would be a violation of a U.N. Security Council resolution, according to Jiji news service. There was no immediate comment from officials in Seoul about the latest rocket launch.

Foreign officials have also said the secretive state’s past launches are disguised long-range missile tests. The North said it would be a satellite launched southwards from a base near its west coast and would have no impact on neighboring countries, saying the launch was for “peaceful purposes”.

SEOUL (Reuters) – North Korea’s inexperienced young leader has taken his first big step on the international stage by doing a deal with the United States little more than two months after the death of his father in a move that will help establish his credibility.

The reclusive state agreed to suspend nuclear tests, halt long-range missile launches and enrichment of uranium at a nuclear facility and allow back nuclear inspectors, completing a key piece of business left unfinished by the death in December of Kim Jong-il who ruled the impoverished state for 17 years.

Wednesday’s announcement by Washington and Pyongyang will likely see aid for disarmament talks resume.

But few believe Kim Jong-un, thought to be in his late 20s, has any intention of abandoning the nuclear aspirations that came to define his father’s rule and were the one bit of leverage he had with the outside world, in particular the United States.

“In the long run, they hope to make a deal about arms restriction, as opposed to disarmament,” said Andrei Lankov of Kookmin University in Seoul.

“They are willing to freeze their nuclear program, if they are paid a hefty fee, and explicitly or implicitly allowed to keep some stockpiles of plutonium and/or nuclear devices.”

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton dubbed the decision to a “modest first step.”

SEOUL (Reuters) – The outside world is warily watching North Korea for any signs of instability following the death of iron-fisted ruler Kim Jong-il and the emergence of his young and untested son as the secretive state’s new leader.

In a surprise move at the end of February, North Korea said it would suspend nuclear tests, uranium enrichment and long-range missile launches, and allow checks by nuclear inspectors. Though Pyongyang has backtracked repeatedly on past deals, it marked an apparent policy shift that could pave the way for resuming long-stalled disarmament talks.

Kim, who died of a heart attack in December, was the driving force behind the North’s nuclear weapons and missile programmes, spending most of the country’s meagre finances on the military even as millions went hungry. He ruled for 17 years.

The “Dear Leader” had a succession plan in place for a number of years, promoting his youngest son Kim Jong-un to prominent positions in the military and ruling party to ensure a third generation of dynastic rule.

The young Kim is being aided by his uncle, Jang Song-thaek, and powerful elements in the military, in what is seen as a collective rule.

Little is known about Kim Jong-un: only that he is believed to be in his late 20s and that he was educated in Switzerland for about two years.

He has moved quickly to try to build a hardline image by visiting military sites around the country, and by firing a series of verbal volleys against the South, vowing not to deal with the government in Seoul.

SEOUL (Reuters) – The outside world is warily watching North Korea for any signs of instability following the death of iron-fisted ruler Kim Jong-il and the emergence of his young and untested son as the secretive state’s new leader.

In a surprise move at the end of February, North Korea said it would suspend nuclear tests, uranium enrichment and long-range missile launches, and allow checks by nuclear inspectors. Though Pyongyang has backtracked repeatedly on past deals, it marked an apparent policy shift that could pave the way for resuming long-stalled disarmament talks.

Kim, who died of a heart attack in December, was the driving force behind the North’s nuclear weapons and missile programs, spending most of the country’s meager finances on the military even as millions went hungry. He ruled for 17 years.

The “Dear Leader” had a succession plan in place for a number of years, promoting his youngest son Kim Jong-un to prominent positions in the military and ruling party to ensure a third generation of dynastic rule.

The young Kim is being aided by his uncle, Jang Song-thaek, and powerful elements in the military, in what is seen as a collective rule.

Little is known about Kim Jong-un: only that he is believed to be in his late 20s and that he was educated in Switzerland for about two years.

He has moved quickly to try to build a hardline image by visiting military sites around the country, and by firing a series of verbal volleys against the South, vowing not to deal with the government in Seoul.