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Tag: North Korea nuclear weapons

  • North Korea Declares It Will Never Rejoin Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty

    North Korea Declares It Will Never Rejoin Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty

    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.

  • Kim Jong Un Signals Willingness to Talk With Trump but Vows to Expand North Korea’s Nuclear Arsenal

    Kim Jong Un Signals Willingness to Talk With Trump but Vows to Expand North Korea’s Nuclear Arsenal

    Kim Jong Un has declared his intention to expand North Korea’s nuclear arsenal and extend its operational range, calling on the United States to respect his country’s status as a nuclear power in a rare direct message to Washington.

    Speaking at the Ninth Congress of the Workers’ Party of Korea in Pyongyang, Kim said the United States and North Korea could “get along” only if Washington accepts that Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons are permanent.

    “If the United States respects our present nuclear position as stipulated in the Constitution and withdraws its hostile policy, there is no reason why we cannot get along well,” Kim said, according to state media outlet KCNA. He added that the future of relations with Washington “depends entirely on the US attitude,” warning that North Korea is prepared for either “peaceful coexistence or permanent confrontation.”

    Kim’s remarks were seen as leaving the door open to renewed talks with Donald Trump ahead of Trump’s planned visit to China in April. However, Kim ruled out any thaw with South Korea, branding it the North’s “most hostile entity” and saying Seoul would be permanently excluded from the category of compatriots.

    The North Korean leader also reaffirmed plans to boost nuclear production, saying Pyongyang would focus on “projects to increase the number of nuclear weapons and expand nuclear operational means.” Despite heavy international sanctions, North Korea has continued testing banned intercontinental ballistic missiles and advancing its nuclear capabilities.

    An independent assessment by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute estimated last year that North Korea possessed around 50 assembled nuclear warheads, with enough fissile material to produce up to 40 more.

    Kim has repeatedly rejected the concept of denuclearisation, telling parliament last year that it had “already lost its meaning” and that North Korea is now a nuclear state. “If the United States recognises reality and seeks genuine peaceful coexistence with us, there is no reason for us not to come face to face,” he said.

    Photos from the closing stages of the congress also showed Kim’s teenage daughter, Ju Ae, standing beside him at a military parade, fuelling speculation about succession after South Korea’s intelligence agency recently reported she may have been chosen as his heir.