DPRK Declares Nuclear Status: “Irreversible” and “Everlasting”

By Staff, Agencies

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea [DPRK] has reaffirmed that its status as a nuclear-armed state is permanent and irreversible, with Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui stressing that Pyongyang will retain its nuclear weapons “through all ages.”

In a statement carried by KCNA on Thursday, Choe said the DPRK’s nuclear status was “irreversible in any case” and would remain unchanged, regardless of statements by hostile forces.

She also dismissed the prospect of meaningful coexistence between confrontation and dialogue, saying such an approach was unacceptable to Pyongyang.

Her remarks came a day after South Korean President Lee Jae Myung told the UN General Assembly that Seoul sought to halt the expansion of Pyongyang’s weapons capabilities and eventually establish a Korean Peninsula free of nuclear weapons.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump has said he plans to meet DPRK leader Kim Jong Un later this year.

Last week, Pyongyang rejected an IAEA resolution calling for an end to its nuclear activities, insisting that its nuclear-armed status is permanently established under national law.

The DPRK Foreign Ministry said its position rests on its “effective nuclear deterrence” and vowed to defend the country’s sovereignty and core interests against external threats.

The IAEA resolution, adopted during its 70th General Conference in Vienna, stated that the DPRK cannot be recognized as a nuclear-weapon state under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty [NPT] and called on Pyongyang to halt nuclear-related activities.

A DPRK Foreign Ministry spokesperson rejected the resolution as having no effect on the country’s nuclear status.

The DPRK formally enshrined its nuclear weapons policy in law on September 8, 2022, establishing a legal framework governing its nuclear arsenal and its potential use.