Government Calls Putin's Claim of North Korea's 'Nuclear Umbrella' Possession an "Unacceptable Delusional Dream"

North Korea's Nuclear Possession Accepted: Northeast Asia Nuclear Domino Effect
NPT Regime Cannot Be Sustained

The government reiterated that Russian President Vladimir Putin's remark about "North Korea possessing its own nuclear umbrella" is "an utterly unrealistic dream that can never be realized as recognition of North Korea as a nuclear-armed state."

An official from the Ministry of Unification said on the 14th during a meeting with reporters, "If North Korea's nuclear possession is tolerated despite repeated United Nations (UN) Security Council resolutions, a nuclear domino effect will inevitably occur in Northeast Asia, and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) regime that has been maintained so far will not be sustainable."

The official also emphasized again that the government's policy is to share the goal of complete denuclearization of North Korea between South Korea and the United States and to strengthen international cooperation for North Korea's return to denuclearization negotiations.

Earlier, on the 13th (local time), President Putin, in interviews with Russian media such as TV channel Rossiya 1 and RIA Novosti news agency, said, "North Korea has its own nuclear umbrella. They have not requested anything from us," which led to analyses suggesting that he effectively recognized North Korea as a nuclear-armed state.

North Korea missile launch. Related to North Korea. Defectors, etc. Ministry of Unification data photo. Photo by Jo Yongjun jun21@

Regarding the assessment that North Korea's level of provocation in response to the South Korea-U.S. joint exercise "Freedom Shield (FS)" was low, the official explained, "It is not appropriate for the government to evaluate whether North Korea's provocation level was high or low," adding, "North Korea will determine the timing and level of provocation based on its own criteria and objectives such as weapons development needs, sending external messages, and consultations with related countries."

South Korea and the United States conducted the FS exercise for 11 days from the 4th to the 14th. This exercise focused on the two countries' military forces mastering various measures to prevent North Korea from using nuclear weapons.

North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un visited important operational training bases in the Western Command of the Korean People's Army on the 6th and 7th, oversaw artillery firing training of the large combined unit assigned the "Seoul strike mission," and tank unit training of the large combined unit on the 13th.

The official said, "Regardless of the training period, we are preparing for various possible provocations by North Korea and are closely monitoring North Korea's movements through close consultations with related ministries."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

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