The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) said Sunday that the United States had no right to ask the DPRK to dismantle its nuclear program.

"It is ridiculous enough for the United States to force an 'irreversible dismantlement' (of nuclear program) upon the DPRK," a spokesman for the Foreign Ministry was quoted by the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) as saying in response to US Vice President Dick Cheney's remarks towards the DPRK during his week-long Asian tour.

During his first visit to China as US vice president, Cheney reiterated that the DPRK should completely dismantle its nuclear program in a verifiable and irreversible manner.

"The DPRK has no idea of dealing with the United States any longer if the latter insists on the disgusting complete, verifiable and irreversible dismantlement," said the spokesman, adding that "the DPRK is seriously contemplating a measure to counter the US off-repeated demand that it scrap its nuclear program first."

The spokesman also denied that the DPRK had any relations with the al-Qaeda terror network.

"It is quite understandable that the United States can not sleep in peace, terror-stricken by al-Qaeda, but its unreasonably linking the DPRK to such an organization is an expression of total ignorance and nothing but a far-fetched attempt to justify its hostile policy towards the DPRK," said the spokesman..