North Korea pledges to expand nuclear arsenal — Jerusalem Post
In Beijing, China, North Korean Deputy Defense Minister Kim Kang Il said at the Xiangshan Forum that Pyongyang would continue to strengthen and expand its nuclear forces. He called North Korea’s nuclear status irreversible and linked the buildup of its arsenal to deepening military cooperation among the United States, South Korea and Japan.
Statement at security forum
According to Kim Kang Il, the buildup of nuclear weapons by states that North Korea considers hostile allegedly justifies Pyongyang’s creation of a reliable nuclear shield. He said that as the nuclear threat from other states allegedly grows, North Korea will continuously expand and strengthen its nuclear deterrence capability.
The official placed responsibility for tensions on the Korean Peninsula on Washington’s policy toward North Korea. He also accused the United States of turning trilateral cooperation with Seoul and Tokyo into a nuclear alliance, the Jerusalem Post reports.
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Kim Kang Il called North Korea’s constitutionally enshrined status as a nuclear state a point of no return and urged other countries to abandon intentions to achieve North Korea’s denuclearization. His participation in the Xiangshan Forum was a rare notable appearance by a North Korean representative at an international security event in recent years.
Rejection of denuclearization
On the same day, Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, also rejected international calls for denuclearization in a statement distributed by the state KCNA agency. She said the country’s nuclear status is absolute and cannot be revoked, calling demands for denuclearization annual noise.
The day before, a North Korean Ministry of Defense representative accused the United States and South Korea of escalating military confrontation through joint planning and exercises on responding to weapons of mass destruction. He said such discussions amounted to an open declaration of confrontation and warned of the possible application of provisions of North Korea’s law on nuclear forces.
