Contact:
Richard Ringer
Communications Director
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For Immediate Release
October 9, 2006
Statement by Dan Seals, Democrat for Congress. Illinois 10th District, on North Korean testing a nuclear weapon:
"North Korea's claim of conducting a successful nuclear weapons test is a troubling development that will have the opposite effect of what Kim Jong Il has stated.
"A nuclear North Korea will not bring stability to the Korean peninsula and Northeast Asia. Rather, North Korea's first-ever test of a nuclear weapon increases the likelihood that other countries in the region will develop nuclear arms.
"The United States should call for an immediate cessation of any further nuclear tests by North Korea. We also need a united, coordinated response by the United States, South Korea, Russia, Japan and China.
"It is worth noting that North Korea had no nuclear weapons when this Administration took office. Now they reportedly have 7 to 12 nuclear weapons and have conducted their first test. This represents a failure of the Administration's policies.
"This should also serve as a reminder that the threats we face extend far beyond the Middle East. If we don't give due attention to those other parts of the world, we could see other hot spots develop."
