"This is not a bilateral matter between the United States and North Korea. It affects every nation
"This is not a bilateral matter between the United States and North Korea. It affects every nation in the region that would fall under the arc of a North Korean missile."
Secretary of State Colin Powell
According to a State Department official who attended a closed meeting where Powell spoke about North Korea's nuclear ambitions.
"It is quite clear that the DPRK can never accept the U.S. demand that it scrap its nuclear weapons program first."
From a commentary in Pyongyang's main state-run newspaper Rodong Sinmun, using the acronym of North Korea's official name, Democratic People's Republic of Korea. It was the communist nation's first apparent acknowledgment that it has such a program.