Obama says US won't be cowed by N Korea's threats

Seeking a world free of atomic arms, President Barack Obama today asserted that the US and others will not "be cowed" by North Korea's threats to step up its nuclear programme and will advance the goal of securing all of the world's "vulnerable" material within four years.

"Next year at our Nuclear Security Summit, we will advance our goal of securing all of the world's vulnerable nuclear materials within four years," he said in his major policy speech on Asia at the Suntory Hall here before a 1500-strong audience.

Obama also stressed on the need of a world free of nuclear weapons for achieving "common security".

Noting that strengthening the global non-proliferation regime is not about singling out individual nations, he said it is about all nations living up to their responsibilities.

"That includes the Islamic Republic of Iran. And it includes North Korea," he said. "For decades, North Korea has chosen a path of confrontation and provocation, including the pursuit of nuclear weapons."

"It should be clear where that path leads. We have tightened sanctions on Pyongyang. We have passed the most sweeping UN Security Council resolution to date to restrict their weapons of mass destruction activities," he said.

"We will not be cowed by threats, and we will continue to send a clear message through our actions, and not just our words: North Korea's refusal to meet its international obligations will lead only to less security – not more," Obama said.