Overview

• Vice Foreign Minister Kim Son Gyong delivered a rare General Assembly address and led the delegation at a higher level than in recent years.
• He said nuclear weapons are embedded in state law and the constitution, warning that giving them up would forfeit the country's right to exist.
• He argued the arsenal maintains a balance of power on the peninsula and condemned expanding U.S.–South Korea–Japan military exercises.
• KCNA reported last week that Kim Jong Un is open to talks with the United States provided North Korea keeps its nuclear arsenal.
• North Korea remains under extensive U.N. sanctions over its weapons programs, while South Korea’s president pledged at the U.N. to ease tensions without seeking regime change.