(Anadolu)
SEOUL – North Korea has rejected renewed international calls for denuclearization, declaring that its status as a nuclear-armed state is “absolute” and cannot be reversed.
Kim Yo Jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, criticized discussions at the International Atomic Energy Agency’s General Conference in Vienna, dismissing calls for Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear weapons program.
The IAEA has repeatedly urged North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons and existing nuclear programs in a complete, verifiable and irreversible manner, in line with relevant UN Security Council resolutions.
Kim said such calls would not affect North Korea’s policy, arguing that the country’s nuclear position had already been established “physically and legally.”
She also said international pressure would not change Pyongyang’s determination to maintain what it considers necessary measures to protect its state interests.
North Korea withdrew from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in 2003 and has since carried out a series of nuclear tests while expanding its weapons program. The IAEA has continued to monitor developments through satellite imagery and other available information despite having no inspectors in the country.
