North Korea defended its right to maintain a nuclear weapons program at a United Nations disarmament conference held shortly after U.S. President Donald Trump referred to the North as a "nuclear power.

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea's defence ministry said on Tuesday the denuclearisation of North Korea must continue to be the goal necessary for lasting global peace, after reports that U.S. President Donald Trump had called Pyongyang "a nuclear power."

North Korea’s state media reported on Donald Trump’s inauguration in its first direct acknowledgement of his return to the White House and adopted a neutral tone without referencing the president’s characterization of Pyongyang as a “nuclear power.