North Korea’s state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) released a statement from Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui on Thursday, asserting that the nation’s nuclear status is permanent and unchangeable. According to Choe, the state holds an unbreakable will to keep its atomic arsenal forever under all circumstances. This declaration formalizes a policy already codified into North Korea’s constitution in 2023, cementing a decades-long military trajectory that began with the country’s first nuclear test in 2006.
South Korean Appeal at the United Nations
The firm rejection from Pyongyang arrives in the wake of South Korean President Lee Jae Myung’s address to the United Nations General Assembly. According to reports, Lee called for an immediate halt to the expansion of North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic capabilities. The South Korean leader advocated for long-term disarmament aimed at achieving a nuclear-free Korean peninsula, while also supporting a resumption of direct talks between Pyongyang and Washington.
Diplomatic channels face persistent friction due to the unresolved nature of the 1950-1953 conflict. North Korea and South Korea remain technically at war because their fighting ended via an armistice rather than a formal peace treaty. While U.S. President Donald Trump indicated in August an interest in meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong-un before the end of the year, Pyongyang’s latest ministerial statements emphasize a refusal to trade away its strategic deterrent.
Recent Weapons Testing and Regional Stance
Alongside the diplomatic rebuff, North Korean state media announced on Thursday that the military successfully tested modernized, controlled multiple rocket launchers on September 22. According to KCNA reports, these upgraded 240 mm artillery systems possess a maximum operational range of 115 kilometers.
The hardening stance from North Korea closes off immediate avenues for disarmament negotiations, even as Seoul pushes for renewed dialogue with Washington. With the country’s nuclear framework legally anchored in its constitution and reiterated at the ministerial level, regional security dynamics remain deadlocked over the fundamental question of atomic retention.