Nuclear Weapons Are ‘Irreversible’

North Korea has once again rejected calls from the United States and its allies to abandon its nuclear arsenal, insisting that its status as a nuclear-armed state is “irreversible”. Pyongyang argues that its nuclear program is essential for ensuring both its security and regional stability.

North Korea said on Sunday that its position as a nuclear weapons state is “irreversible” and remains vital to maintaining stability in the region.

Pyongyang has repeatedly stated that it will never give up its nuclear arsenal, describing it as indispensable to its deterrence capability. Earlier this month, the country’s leader’s influential sister, Kim Yo Jong, characterized the policy as one with “no path for retreat”.

The remarks came after a trilateral meeting involving South Korea, Japan and the United States in Tokyo on Friday. According to Seoul’s foreign ministry, the three allies reaffirmed their commitment to the “complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula”.

In a statement carried by the state-run Korean Central News Agency, a spokesperson said: “Meaningless remarks by the United States and its follower forces against North Korea can never affect its irreversible status as a nuclear weapons state.”

The official further stated that “denuclearization is an issue that has already been settled irreversibly”.

The spokesperson also argued that Washington’s arms sales to Seoul and Tokyo were among the reasons Pyongyang continues to advance its nuclear program, describing it as a “powerful security guarantee for regional stability and peace”.

“No matter how strongly the United States, Japan and South Korea object, they will never be able to change North Korea’s current status as a nuclear weapons state,” the spokesperson added.

North Korea has accelerated the development of its nuclear weapons program since talks with Washington collapsed in 2019. That year, a summit in Hanoi between Kim and US President Donald Trump ended without an agreement.

Appearing to refer to those failed negotiations, the spokesperson said that “denuclearization, which has permanently disappeared with the passage of time, can never be brought back”.

Recently, Kim Jong Un hosted Chinese President Xi Jinping in Pyongyang. Prior to that, the Chinese leader held a series of meetings in Beijing with US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

According to reports from the official media of both sides, denuclearization was not mentioned during those meetings.
Source: AFP (adapted)