Kim Son Gyong, North Korea’s Deputy Foreign Minister, emphasized on Monday that his country will never give up its nuclear arsenal, considering nuclear disarmament a threat to its sovereignty and existence.

In his speech, Gyong said: “Forcing nuclear disarmament on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is equivalent to demanding it give up sovereignty and the right to exist, and it violates the constitution.”

He added: “We will never give up nuclear weapons, which are our national law, national policy, sovereign power, and our right to exist. Under no circumstances will we ever retreat from this position.”

Conditional Openness to Dialogue

However, Gyong left the door slightly open for diplomacy, affirming his country’s readiness to cooperate with states that “reject aggression and domination and seek independence and justice,” according to his words.

This statement follows a report from North Korea’s news agency a week ago indicating that leader Kim Jong Un expressed openness to dialogue with the United States, provided his country retains its nuclear arsenal.

North Korea has been under strict international sanctions since its first nuclear test in 2006. South Korea’s intelligence agency believes Pyongyang operates several uranium enrichment facilities, notably the Yongbyon facility, which North Korea previously announced it had shut down before restarting it in 2021.

Meanwhile, South Korean President Lee Jae-myung delivered a speech at the United Nations last Tuesday, expressing his commitment to ending the “vicious cycle” of tensions between the Koreas and affirming that his country does not seek to change the regime in North Korea.