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President Obama at G7 summit: North Korea is 'big worry' for all

Pyongyang’s weapons development is tied to Kim Jong Un’s perceptions of his own legitimacy, Obama said.

By Elizabeth Shim
U.S. President Barack Obama said North Korea's nuclear weapons proliferation was a cause for serious concern among G7 leaders on Thursday. Pool photo by Aude Guerrucci/UPI
U.S. President Barack Obama said North Korea's nuclear weapons proliferation was a cause for serious concern among G7 leaders on Thursday. Pool photo by Aude Guerrucci/UPI | License Photo

ISE-SHIMA, Japan, May 26 (UPI) -- President Obama directly addressed the issue of North Korea during the first day of the G7 summit in Japan, one day before his historic visit to Hiroshima.

"North Korea is a big worry for all of us," Obama said, according to The Guardian.

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"Kim Jong Un in particular seems to be convinced that his own legitimacy is tied up with developing nuclear weapons."

The president's statement comes at a time when the G7 summit is likely to include condemnations of nuclear proliferation in its official statement, and Obama is expected to make further comments on the danger of such weapons at Hiroshima on Friday.

"The backdrop of a nuclear event remains something that presses on the back of our imagination," Obama said Thursday.

The president also made statements regarding the reactions he had received from world leaders on presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, saying they were justifiably "rattled" by Trump's campaign rhetoric.

"A lot of the proposals that [Trump] has made display either ignorance of world affairs or a cavalier attitude," Obama said during the summit.

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G7 leaders in attendance include Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, British Prime Minister David Cameron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, French President Francois Hollande, and Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi.

Other Asia regional concerns occupied the G7 agenda, including China's island-building activities in the South China Sea.

Japan's Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroshige Seko said the gathered leaders agreed to take a firm stand against the activities in international waters, and on reefs with multiple claimants in the region, South Korean news agency Yonhap reported.

North Korea has not tested weapons or launched missiles since the conclusion of its Seventh Party Congress in early May, but recently delivered an ultimatum to the United States for what it calls Washington's "hostile North Korea policy."

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