North Korea declared on Monday that its status as a nuclear power has become irreversible, issuing a stark warning against any attempts to change this stance.
In a statement released via the Korean Central News Agency, the North Korean mission in Vienna, Austria, affirmed its commitment to meeting its obligations as a responsible nuclear state.
This declaration follows a recent International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) board meeting, during which a U.S. representative reiterated America’s commitment to the complete denuclearization of North Korea.
Pyongyang’s diplomatic mission strongly condemned the U.S. position, describing it as a serious political provocation that labels North Korea’s nuclear arsenal as illegal while advocating for denuclearization. The statement sharply criticized Washington’s provocative behavior as a clear sign of its unwavering hostility towards North Korea, voicing serious concerns about potential negative repercussions.
North Korean officials argued that by reiterating outdated calls for denuclearization on an international stage, the U.S. has unambiguously demonstrated that its ultimate aim is to force North Korea to abandon its constitution and political system, revealing no intention to coexist peacefully.
The statement further asserted that U.S. hegemonic actions, which undermine the very foundations of the global nuclear non-proliferation regime, represent the greatest threat to international security. Pyongyang urged Washington to faithfully fulfill its nuclear disarmament commitments and to immediately halt what it termed nuclear proliferation activities, including the provision of extended deterrence, nuclear sharing with non-nuclear states, and the transfer of nuclear submarine technology.
The North Korean mission defended its nuclear program as an unavoidable measure to safeguard national sovereignty and security against persistent U.S. nuclear threats and to maintain a strategic balance of power. It also challenged the IAEA’s authority, asserting that the agency lacks both legal jurisdiction and moral standing to interfere in the domestic affairs of nuclear-armed states outside the framework of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
Pyongyang presented its nuclear deterrent as the best strategy to avert nuclear conflict on the Korean Peninsula and in the broader region, arguing that it secures North Korea’s right to survival and development.
In response to North Korea’s assertions, a South Korean Foreign Ministry official reiterated the international community’s unanimous stance that North Korea cannot be recognized as a nuclear weapons state under the NPT, stressing that this position has been repeatedly affirmed through United Nations (UN) Security Council resolutions.
The official noted that the series of UN Security Council sanctions imposed since 2006 are ultimately aimed at achieving North Korean denuclearization, including various embargo measures designed to halt Pyongyang’s illicit development of nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities.
