North Korea denies missile exports

SEOUL, South Korea -- North Korea denied a CIA report that said the communist state continued to export missile equipment and technology to countries in the Middle East, South Asia and North Africa last year.

"It's nothing but a shameless allegation. The United States is absurdly picking quarrels with us and other countries," state-run Korean Central Radio said Friday in a commentary.

In a report to Congress earlier this month, the CIA said North Korea "places a high priority to the development and sale of ballistic missiles," one of the country's main sources of hard currency.

North Korea continued to sell ballistic missile parts, equipment and technology to countries in the Middle East, South Asia and North Africa throughout the second half of 2000, it said. It did not elaborate.