North Korea’s Kim reaffirms ‘invariable’ stance on nuclear force for security
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un reaffirmed his country’s “invariable” reliance on nuclear force for security, stressing it is an “unchangeable duty,” while rejecting US denuclearisation demands and highlighting recent nuclear development progress.
Seoul: North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has reaffirmed his country’s “invariable” position of ensuring security through nuclear force, calling steady preparations for nuclear counteraction an “essential top-priority” task, state media reported on Saturday.
Kim made the remarks Friday during a meeting with nuclear scientists and technicians, and while presiding over a consultative session on nuclear material and weapons production, Yonhap reported, citing the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
His message came after the Trump administration in Washington reiterated its commitment to the “complete denuclearisation” of North Korea.
Kim stressed that advancing the country’s nuclear posture is an “unchangeable duty.” He was quoted by KCNA as saying: “The powerful deterrent — namely, peacekeeping and security by force with nuclear forces as its backbone — is the invariable stand of the DPRK.”
He also called for strengthening the country’s “nuclear shield and sword” to safeguard sovereignty.
Kim expressed satisfaction that “the main links in highly developing the country’s nuclear capability were perfectly solved,” noting that the nuclear weapons institute and nuclear-material production officials had completed “two tasks” tied to a new strategy, though KCNA did not elaborate.
The meeting was attended by Hong Sung-mu, a senior party official widely seen as a key figure behind Pyongyang’s nuclear programme.
Recently, Kim told a parliamentary session that Pyongyang is open to talks with the US if Washington abandons its demand for denuclearisation. At the same time, he stressed that North Korea will “never give up” nuclear arms, citing the country’s “irreversible” status as a nuclear power enshrined in its constitution.
South Korean Unification Minister Chung Dong-young said Thursday that North Korea is believed to possess up to 2,000 kilograms of highly enriched uranium and is operating centrifuges at four sites to accumulate nuclear materials.