North Korea Asserts 'Legitimate Nuclear Possession' on Global Stage... Challenges South Korea-U.S. Nuclear Submarine Agreement

North Korea has once again asserted the legitimacy of its possession of nuclear weapons to the international community. The country stated that it has no obligation to comply with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), having already withdrawn from it in 1993. North Korea also criticized the United States for providing extended deterrence to non-nuclear weapon states and for transferring nuclear submarine technology, expressing its discontent over one of the agreements reached at last year's summit between South Korea and the US regarding nuclear-powered submarines.

Jung Yeondu, Director of the Foreign Ministry's Office of Foreign Affairs Strategy and Information, delivered a keynote speech at the 11th Review Conference of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), held on the 27th of last month (local time) at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, USA. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

On the 7th, the Korean Central News Agency reported that Kim Song, North Korea’s ambassador to the United Nations, issued a statement the previous day containing these claims. Ambassador Kim argued that North Korea’s withdrawal from the NPT was "a legitimate process" and insisted that "under no circumstances are we bound by the NPT." He went on to say, "We strongly condemn and reject in the strongest terms the brazen and shameless actions of certain countries, led by the United States, that challenge our realistic and inevitable possession of nuclear weapons and our inherent right to self-defense as a sovereign state."

North Korea has previously made similar statements during the 10th NPT Review Conference in 2022 and at the first preparatory meeting for the 11th NPT Review Conference in August 2023. However, what stands out in the latest statement is the mention of "nuclear submarines." Ambassador Kim expressed opposition to the North Korea nuclear issue being raised at the NPT Review Conference, stating, "The violations of treaty obligations by the United States and certain countries—including the neglect of their disarmament obligations as NPT parties, the provision of 'extended deterrence' to non-nuclear states, and the transfer of nuclear submarine technology—must be addressed as a fundamental agenda item." This appears to be a reference to the agreement reached at the November summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and President Lee Jaemyung granting approval for South Korea’s construction of nuclear-powered submarines.

This statement was made during the period of the 11th NPT Review Conference, which has been held in New York, USA, for about a month since April 27. With the South Korean government delegation also in attendance and the North Korean nuclear issue being raised in several sessions, North Korea appears to have been conscious of these discussions. Kyu-Young Ha, Director-General for International Security Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated during the opening of a side event on the North Korean nuclear issue at the NPT Review Conference that "it is important to firmly maintain the goal of 'complete denuclearization'" and emphasized that "since diplomatic opportunities for denuclearization will inevitably arise, we must prepare in advance." Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations Kim Sangjin also stated, "We will continue diplomatic efforts to bring North Korea to the negotiating table."

Meanwhile, in March, North Korea revised its constitution to explicitly enshrine leader Kim Jong Un’s "command authority over nuclear forces" for the first time. A new territorial clause was also added, defining the area north of the Korean Peninsula's Demilitarized Zone as North Korean territory. Regarding this, a Blue House official stated, "We will conduct a comprehensive review of North Korea’s constitutional amendments," and added, "Based on this, we will consistently pursue policies for peaceful coexistence on the Korean Peninsula."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.