North Korea's Vice Foreign Minister: "Nuclear Weapon State Status Cannot Be Reversed by Anything"

Kim Son-gyong, North Korea's vice foreign minister, stated in her speech at the UN General Assembly on the 28th local time, "We once again reaffirm our official position that our status as a nuclear-weapon state cannot be reversed under any circumstances or by anything."

Speaking during the general debate of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly at the UN Headquarters in New York, Vice Minister Kim said, "The nuclear deterrent possessed by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea is an absolute and irresistible force to defend our sovereignty, security, and peace from external aggression and threats," making the remarks as such.

Kim stated, "The reason why physical conflict is prevented and security is maintained on the Korean Peninsula is because we possess a powerful war deterrent and are thoroughly managing the hostile forces' intent to use armed force."

This is intended to repeatedly justify the rationale for possessing nuclear weapons.

Kim said, "Moving forward, by strictly controlling and managing all sorts of threats imposed from outside through an overwhelming superiority of force, we will firmly safeguard our national sovereignty and fundamental interests, and become more faithful to our mission as a nuclear-weapon state in guaranteeing regional and global peace and security."

Vice Minister Kim also expressed a critical stance on South Korea's pursuit of acquiring nuclear-powered submarines.

Sharpening her criticism, Kim said, "The current military trend, in which the United States approves and actively promotes Seoul's ambition to possess nuclear-powered submarines while deploying advanced missiles, drones, and various other equipment to the Korean Peninsula and surrounding areas, makes the already unstable regional security situation even more vulnerable."

This marks the second consecutive year that Vice Minister Kim has addressed the UN General Assembly, following last year.

Following the breakdown of the North Korea-US summit in Hanoi in 2019, North Korea did not dispatch a high-level delegation to the UN General Assembly for six years until 2024.

While Ambassador Kim Song had delivered the UN General Assembly keynote speeches during that period, North Korea resumed dispatching high-level delegations after seven years with Vice Minister Kim's attendance last year.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.