The North Korean Ambassador to Britain says Pyongyang will work actively to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula if the sovereignty and rights of his nation are respected.

Ambassador Ja Song-nam said that to resolve the nuclear issue, the United States must first withdraw its so-called hostile policies on Pyongyang.

During a lecture at the Royal United Services Institute, a British defense think tank, the North Korean official said that true denuclearization can't be realized if bilateral confrontation continues. He said that based on principles of sovereignty and equality, his country will strive to denuclearize not only the Korean Peninsula but also Northeast Asia and the world.

The ambassador served as diplomatic minister for the North Korean representative to the U.N. from 2000 to 2004. He's known to be an expert on the U.S. and disarmament.