Kim Yo Jong Declares North Korea's Nuclear Status "Absolute" in Message to IAEA... Unification Ministry: "A Response Amid Moves for North Korea-U.S. Dialogue" (Comprehensive)

The Ministry of Unification assessed that North Korea, in response to Workers’ Party Secretary Kim Yo-jong’s statement rebuffing the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) denuclearization demand, has elevated the tone of its rhetoric to once again emphasize the irreversibility of its status as a nuclear-armed state.

KCTV broadcast the full speech of Kim Yo-jong, Vice Department Director of the Workers' Party, with audio. [KCTV screen] August 11, 2022 Yonhap News Service

An official from the Ministry of Unification told reporters at the Government Complex Seoul on the 17th, "North Korea has routinely pushed back against discussions on denuclearization of North Korea and the adoption of related resolutions at the IAEA General Assembly each year." The official added, "However, this time, by having Secretary Kim issue the statement, North Korea has elevated its rhetoric to reinforce the irreversibility of its nuclear-armed state status." The official continued, "We are paying special attention since this reaction comes at a time when U.S. President Donald Trump has expressed an intention to pursue dialogue with North Korea."

Earlier that day, Secretary Kim, in a statement released via the Korean Central News Agency, criticized the IAEA General Assembly's call for North Korea’s denuclearization as "familiar nonsense" and "noise that is neither surprising nor new." She asserted, "The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s status as a nuclear-armed state is absolute and irreversible," arguing that North Korea’s nuclear status is "a reality permanently entrenched both physically and legally." However, Secretary Kim’s remarks were not reported in domestic North Korean media outlets such as the Rodong Sinmun, which are seen by the North Korean people.

Although North Korea has not issued a direct response to the prospect of U.S.-North Korea dialogue, it appears to be setting out conditions and topics for future talks and pressuring the United States for policy changes. In particular, there is an interpretation that North Korea is trying to make it unmistakably clear that it cannot accept any discussion of denuclearization, especially in light of possible talks with the United States.

The North Korean Ministry of Defense, on the night before, targeted the U.S.-South Korea Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Committee (CWMDC) and warned that it "may be considered a major security challenge that would require invoking the relevant provisions of the state nuclear force policy law," further threatening that the parties concerned should "understand the implications of invoking those provisions and treat it as a grave warning."

This marks the first time North Korea has officially responded to the CWMDC, which has been convening since 2017. There is also commentary that it is unusual for a spokesman for the Ministry of Defense to make a direct response to a director-level consultative body and to explicitly mention the prerequisites for invoking the nuclear force policy law.

The article cited by North Korea appears to be Article 6, Clause 1 of its nuclear policy law, which stipulates that the use of nuclear weapons will be considered if it judges that an attack by nuclear or other weapons of mass destruction has been carried out or is imminent. However, this is not the first time North Korea has mentioned invoking the nuclear force policy law. Back in July 2023, North Korea used similar language in a statement by its Defense Minister criticizing the arrival of a U.S. strategic nuclear submarine in Busan and the inaugural meeting of the U.S.-South Korea Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG).

Rather than announcing specific military countermeasures, the current statement by the Ministry of Defense appears to place emphasis on issuing a warning. Relatedly, a Ministry of Unification official explained, "This falls in line with a series of North Korea’s recent condemnations of various levels of U.S.-South Korea and U.S.-South Korea-Japan military cooperation," and added that it seems intended to pressure the United States to reconsider its ‘hostile policy’ toward North Korea and to seek changes in attitude.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.