Post by : Badri Ariffin

North Korea’s Vice Defence Minister Kim Kang Il has defended Pyongyang’s decision to strengthen and expand its nuclear forces, saying the growing US-led military buildup and what he described as an expanding nuclear alliance between the United States, South Korea and Japan justify the move.

Speaking on Thursday at the Beijing Xiangshan Forum, China’s major international security conference, Kim said North Korea’s status as a nuclear weapons state was irreversible. He also said Pyongyang would continue expanding its nuclear arsenal.

North Korea Cites Growing Nuclear Threat

Kim said what he called the continued nuclear arms buildup by countries considered hostile to North Korea justified the strengthening of the country’s nuclear capabilities.

He said North Korea would continue developing what it described as a self-defensive nuclear deterrent to protect peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in the wider region.

Kim blamed the continuing tensions on the Korean Peninsula on what he called Washington’s hostile policy toward Pyongyang. He also accused the United States of turning its cooperation with South Korea and Japan into a nuclear alliance.

Pyongyang Rejects Denuclearisation

Kim said North Korea’s constitutional status as a nuclear weapons state represented a “line of no retreat”. He called on other countries to abandon what he described as expectations that Pyongyang would give up its nuclear weapons.

His remarks came as North Korea continued to publicly reject international calls for denuclearisation. Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, also rejected renewed demands for the country to give up its nuclear weapons following discussions at the annual meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

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In a statement carried by North Korean state media KCNA, Kim Yo Jong said the country’s status as a nuclear weapons state was “absolute” and could not be reversed. She dismissed repeated calls for denuclearisation and said North Korea’s nuclear position had been permanently established both physically and legally.

North Korea Raises Concern Over US-South Korea Exercises

The latest comments followed a statement from a North Korean Defence Ministry spokesperson on Wednesday. The spokesperson accused the United States and South Korea of increasing military confrontation through joint planning and exercises related to weapons of mass destruction.

The spokesperson described recent US-South Korean discussions on WMD response planning as an “open declaration of confrontation” and warned that such actions could lead Pyongyang to invoke provisions of its nuclear force policy law.

Rare North Korean Appearance at Security Forum

Kim Kang Il’s appearance at the Xiangshan Forum marked a rare high-level participation by North Korea at an international security gathering in recent years. His appearance came as Pyongyang seeks closer ties with Beijing amid tensions involving Washington and its allies.

When asked about the possibility of a meeting between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Kim Kang Il said he was not in a position to comment on whether such a summit could take place.

North Korea’s Nuclear Policy Message

The statements by senior North Korean officials appear to be part of a wider effort by Pyongyang to reinforce its position on nuclear weapons, according to Lim Eul-chul, a professor at Kyungnam University’s Institute for Far Eastern Studies in Seoul.

Lim said the messaging was aimed at strengthening North Korea’s claim that its nuclear status had reached an irreversible stage, while providing justification for future military and nuclear activities in response to what Pyongyang portrays as increasing pressure from the United States and South Korea.

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