Pyongyang Challenges Washington: North Korea Demands U.S. Nuclear Disarmament, Accusing It of Jeopardizing Global Peace

In a significant diplomatic escalation, the Permanent Mission of North Korea to the United Nations Office in Vienna issued a strong statement condemning the United States. This statement came in response to what Pyongyang described as a "dangerous political provocation" by Washington during the recent session of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors. North Korea viewed the description of its acquisition of nuclear weapons as "illegal" as a flagrant interference in its internal affairs and a violation of its sovereignty.

The mission asserted that the U.S. insistence on North Korea's denuclearization reveals Washington's hostile intention to force Pyongyang to abandon its system and constitution, showing it has no intention of coexisting with it. It emphasized that North Korea's possession of nuclear weapons is an inevitable choice, crucial for ensuring global peace and stability. It serves as a reliable defense of the state's sovereignty and security in the face of the persistent U.S. nuclear threat, ensuring a balance of power.

North Korea directly accused the United States of endangering global peace and security. It stated that Washington is undermining the foundations of the international non-proliferation regime through its radical accumulation and reckless proliferation of nuclear weapons. It considered this "hegemonistic act" to be the gravest threat facing the international community. Pyongyang demanded that the U.S., as the world's largest nuclear power, sincerely fulfill its commitment to nuclear disarmament, immediately cease "disturbing proliferation practices" such as "extended deterrence" and nuclear sharing with non-nuclear states, and halt the transfer of nuclear submarine technology.

North Korea also warned the IAEA, accusing it of interfering in its internal affairs and questioning its sovereign rights. It claimed the agency has lost its independence and impartiality by ignoring the realistic and practical U.S. nuclear threat. The statement clarified that North Korea's status as a nuclear state is "irreversible," as it has been permanently established in its highest state law. It added that the IAEA, with which it has had no formal relations for over 30 years, has no legal right or moral justification to interfere. The statement concluded by asserting that strengthening self-defensive nuclear deterrence is the best option to prevent the risk of nuclear war on the Korean Peninsula and in the region, reliably ensuring North Korea's right to existence and development.