North Korea has reaffirmed it will never abandon its nuclear arsenal, with a senior official declaring the weapons essential to the country’s survival during a rare speech before the United Nations General Assembly on Monday.
Vice Foreign Minister Kim Son Gyong told delegates that giving up its “war deterrent” — Pyongyang’s term for its nuclear program — would be “tantamount to demanding it to surrender its sovereignty and right to existence.”
“We will never give up nuclear, which is our state law, national policy and sovereign power as well as the right to existence,” Kim said. “Under any circumstances, we will never walk away from this position.”
The remarks underscored North Korea’s determination to strengthen its arsenal, a stance reinforced by its 2023 decision to enshrine nuclear status in its constitution. Kim argued the weapons deter U.S. and allied military threats, claiming they ensure “the balance of power on the Korean Peninsula.”
The UN address — Pyongyang’s first of its kind since 2018 — coincided with Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui’s high-profile visit to Beijing. Meeting with Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Choe stressed North Korea’s “unwavering position” to bolster ties with China. Li responded that Beijing was prepared to “deepen coordination” and safeguard shared interests, state media reported.
The visit followed North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s first meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in six years, when he attended a massive military parade in Beijing earlier this month. Analysts suggest Choe’s trip could be paving the way for a reciprocal visit by Xi or other senior Chinese leaders to Pyongyang, where North Korea plans to mark the 80th anniversary of its ruling party on October 10 with its own parade.
The upcoming anniversary could also provide Kim Jong Un an opportunity to unveil new weapons or diplomatic messaging. Last week, he reiterated openness to talks with the U.S. but ruled out a meeting with former President Donald Trump unless Washington “abandons its delusional obsession with denuclearization and acknowledges reality.”
Despite the harsh rhetoric, Kim also struck a softer tone, recalling “fond memories” of his previous summits with Trump in 2018 and 2019. Trump, who has voiced eagerness to rekindle diplomacy, may get his chance sooner rather than later: he is expected to visit South Korea for an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Gyeongju at the end of October.
