North Korea has rejected a call by the United Nations nuclear watchdog to open its alleged weapons programme to inspectors, a report has said.

North Korean Foreign Minister Paek Nam-Sun made the announcement in a letter sent to the UN body on Monday, the state-run Korean Central News Agency said.

There is no change in (North Korea's) principled stand on the nuclear issue

Korean Central News Agency

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Friday said it "deplored" Pyongyang's assertion that it was entitled to possess nuclear weapons.

The UN agency called on North Korea to accept inspections of its alleged atomic weapons programme

The call came in the wake of allegations from the United States that North Korea had admitted to having a secret nuclear programme during a visit by US envoy James Kelly.

Nuclear standoff

But Pyongyang denies having made such an admission, saying it only claimed the right to possess nuclear arms.

"The DPRK government cannot accept the November 29 resolution of the IAEA board of governors in any case and that there is no change in its principled stand on the nuclear issue," North Korea's central news agency reported on Wednesday.

IAEA's 35-nation board of governors on Friday called Pyongyang's stance a "violation of North Korea's international commitments" and urged the reclusive country to "open immediately all relevant facilities to IAEA inspections and safeguards".

The board also called on Pyongyang "to give up any nuclear weapons programs expeditiously and in a verifiable manner".

"I think the message is clear: North Korea should co-operate," said IAEA Director General Mohamed El Baradei.

Under a 1994 deal with the US, North Korea agreed to give up an earlier nuclear weapons programme in return for aid.

Both sides now accuse the other of breaking the deal.