North Korea has declared it is no longer bound by the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, insisting that its status as a nuclear-armed state is permanent despite mounting international pressure.
The statement was delivered by North Korea’s top United Nations envoy, Kim Song, during the ongoing review conference of the nuclear treaty at the UN headquarters. According to North Korean state media, Kim criticized the United States and allied nations for questioning Pyongyang’s nuclear status and sovereign rights.
“The status of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea as a nuclear-armed state will not change,” Kim said, adding that North Korea would “not be bound by the Non-Proliferation Treaty under any circumstances whatsoever.”
North Korea first announced its intention to withdraw from the treaty in 1993 before formally exiting in 2003. Since then, the country has conducted six nuclear tests and remains under multiple United Nations sanctions. Intelligence estimates suggest Pyongyang possesses dozens of nuclear warheads.
Leader Kim Jong Un has repeatedly described the country’s nuclear weapons program as irreversible, embedding its nuclear doctrine into the national constitution and outlining principles for the possible use of nuclear weapons.
The latest remarks come amid growing geopolitical tensions and deepening military cooperation between North Korea and Russia. Pyongyang has reportedly supplied artillery shells and troops to support Moscow’s war efforts in Ukraine, while analysts believe North Korea may be receiving military technology and strategic support in return.
According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, the world’s nine nuclear-armed states collectively possessed more than 12,000 nuclear warheads as of January 2025. The United States and Russia continue to hold nearly 90% of the global nuclear arsenal while modernizing their nuclear capabilities.