North Korea has reaffirmed its position as a nuclear-armed state, declaring that this status is now “permanently enshrined” in its legal framework and deemed “irreversible.” The announcement was made through state media on Monday, as the country criticized the United States for its ongoing calls for denuclearization.
In a statement from the North’s mission to the United Nations, the nation condemned the US for what it termed a “grave political provocation.” This was in response to comments made during a recent meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) Board of Governors, where the US labeled North Korea’s possession of nuclear weapons as illegal.
The North asserted that its status as a nuclear-armed state has been cemented in its “supreme and fundamental law” and emphasized that its relationship with the IAEA has been dormant for over 30 years. The statement further argued that the IAEA lacks both legal authority and moral standing to intervene in the affairs of a nuclear state that operates outside the framework of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
North Korea has a history of contentious relations with the IAEA, having withdrawn from the organization in 1994 amid disagreements over nuclear inspections. The North has long accused the agency of being a tool for the United States to undermine its sovereignty.
In a robust declaration, Pyongyang insisted that it would “firmly oppose and reject any attempt to alter the current status” of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, using its official name. This statement follows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s recent visit to military research facilities, where he indicated that the nation would pursue both nuclear and conventional military advancements simultaneously.
The steadfast commitment to its nuclear arsenal comes in the wake of a failed summit with the United States in 2019, after which North Korea has reiterated that it will never relinquish its nuclear weapons.
