N. Korea can’t be convinced to give up its nuclear capability: US intel chief

James Clapper, head of the US Defense Intelligence Agency, said Tuesday at a conference in New York that "the notion of getting the North Koreans to denuclearize is probably a lost cause". In the first-ever public admission by Washington of its inability to convince Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear weapons, he said the North's leaders are "paranoid" and consider nuclear weapons "their ticket to survival". In a surprising move, Clapper suggested offering Pyongyang economic inducements instead of continuing to impose sanctions. Following the intelligence chief's comments, the State Department issued a statement saying that the US remains committed to diplomatic efforts including multilateral talks with the North.