Overview
- Speaking at the UN General Assembly on Sept. 29, Vice Foreign Minister Kim Son-gyong said the country's nuclear posture is permanent.
- He argued that nuclear use remains a deterrent option to secure the Korean Peninsula, citing U.S., South Korean and Japanese drills as a nuclear war threat.
- Pyongyang said denuclearization demands violate its sovereignty and highlighted that nuclear status is codified in its constitution after a 2022 declaration of irreversibility.
- The address was North Korea's first appearance at the UNGA since 2018 and followed Kim Jong Un's signal of talks only if denuclearization is off the table.
- Kim condemned Israel's actions in Gaza and voiced support for establishing a Palestinian state.