North Korea announces itself to be a state with nuclear weapons.
Kim Jong-un, leader of North Korea, described the action as "irreversible."
State news agency KCNA reports that North Korea has enacted a law declaring itself to be a nuclear weapons state.
Kim Jong-un, the country's leader, described the choice as "irreversible" and shut out the idea of any denuclearization negotiations, the statement added.
The law also establishes the nation's right to defend itself with a nuclear first strike.
Pyongyang has carried out six nuclear tests between 2006 and 2017 despite severe restrictions.
In defiance of UN Security Council resolutions, it has kept developing its military capacity, threatening its neighbours and perhaps even putting the US mainland within striking distance.
In 2019, Mr. Kim conducted nuclear tests and long-range launches in response to two attention-grabbing but fruitless summits with the then-US president, Donald Trump.
What is known about North Korea's missile and nuclear programmes? Simulating an attack by the North
But since then, negotiations between the nations have stopped. President Joe Biden has not yet confirmed whether he will meet with Mr. Kim, despite the Biden administration having stated that it is willing to talk to Pyongyang.
The White House also stated that its outreach efforts and offers of assistance in relation to Pyongyang's Covid outbreak have thus far gone unanswered.
When the US reviewed its North Korea strategy last year, it emphasised the goal of "complete denuclearization" of the Korean peninsula. Mr. Kim responded that his country needs to be prepared for both "dialogue and confrontation" and the vice president pledged to pursue it using a combination of diplomacy and "stern deterrence".
However, Pyongyang's record-breaking missile launches this year have led to an increase in tensions on the Korean peninsula.
South Korea and the US reacted with a barrage of missiles and the largest joint military exercises on the peninsula in years.
0 Comments