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North Korea announced its nuclear state status has become "irreversible," rejecting recent U.S. calls for denuclearization at an International Atomic Energy Agency meeting.
According to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), North Korea's U.N. Permanent Mission issued a statement on Monday condemning what it called the United States' provocative interference in Pyongyang's internal affairs and sovereignty violations.
"The Democratic People's Republic of Korea's nuclear weapon state position, permanently established in the state's highest and fundamental law, has become irreversible," the statement declared.
The statement argued that North Korea's nuclear weapons possession represents an "inevitable choice" to defend state sovereignty and security against U.S. nuclear threats while maintaining power balance and guaranteeing global peace and stability.
North Korea accused the Washington administration of undermining the international nuclear disarmament regime through "radical" nuclear armament moves, stating, "The U.S. pursuit of hegemony is the most serious threat facing the international community."
The North Korean statement also called on the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to avoid initiatives questioning North Korea's sovereign rights, criticizing the agency's loss of independence and neutrality.
"If the IAEA is truly concerned with international nuclear threats and the critical security environment they create, it should first question the U.S.'s malicious actions that intensify nuclear armament and arbitrarily violate non-proliferation obligations," the statement read.
Lastly, North Korea maintained that strengthening nuclear deterrence remains the sole method to prevent nuclear war threats on the Korean Peninsula and secure national sovereignty.
"North Korea's 'nuclear weapon state' status, guaranteed by law, has now become indispensable," the statement concluded.
Meanwhile, South Korean President Lee Jae-myung acknowledged North Korea views the United States, not South Korea, as its primary threat during his 100-day press conference.
"From North Korea's perspective, the primary threat to their regime is not South Korea, but the U.S.," Lee stated, according to The Korea Times.
"Therefore, North Korea considers its relationship with the U.S. more important than relations with South Korea," he noted.
Lee emphasized that resolving North-South relations requires U.S. coordination and North Korea-U.S. dialogue, calling the situation a complex international issue beyond South Korea's unilateral control.
The South Korean president emphasized the importance of building peace before ultimate reunification, noting that Koreans have been divided for a relatively short period compared to other nations that achieved unity only after centuries.
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