North Korea Says Nuclear Status ‘Irreversible’ After IAEA Rebuke

KCNA via Reuters

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un provides guidance on projects in the defence industry sector.

Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, accused the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) of applying double standards on Saturday after the UN nuclear watchdog adopted a resolution criticising Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons programme.

The IAEA's "biased viewpoint and double standards" are "the fundamental factor causing the collapse of the international nuclear non-proliferation system", Kim Yo Jong said in a statement in state media KCNA.

She said ⁠the agency had turned a blind eye to the "blatant nuclear proliferation activities" of the United States and South Korea's "nuclear submarine introduction plan", while forcibly adopting a resolution against North Korea's "self-defensive and legitimate nuclear activities".

In a separate KCNA statement, North Korea's Foreign Ministry also dismissed the resolution, declaring that its status as a nuclear power is irreversible and backed by its nuclear deterrent.

KCNA also said North Korean leader Kim Jong Un carried ‌out ⁠a three-day inspection tour of major munitions factories this week.

Kim said North Korea's efforts to modernise all components of its defence capability are bringing about "a significant change" in the composition and means of its armed forces, KCNA said.

Analysts ⁠say North Korea has been overhauling its military with Russian help since the two countries signed a mutual defence treaty in 2024. They say combat experience gained ⁠by Pyongyang's troops deployed to the war in Ukraine has also aided the effort.

Kim also gave a lecture to a propaganda workers' training ⁠session in Pyongyang on Friday, KCNA reported, telling attendees modern "ideological warfare" needed to be innovative, creative and aggressive rather than repeating old methods.

Source: Reuters



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