North Korea is now a nuclear weapons state

• North Korea has enacted a law declaring itself to be a nuclear weapons state.
• Kim Jong-un described the choice as “irreversible” and shut out the idea of any negotiations.
• The law establishes the nation’s right to defend itself with a nuclear first strike.

State news agency KCNA reports that North Korea has enacted a law declaring itself to be a nuclear weapons state.

Kim Jong-un, the country’s leader, described the choice as “irreversible” and shut out the idea of any denuclearization negotiations, the statement added.

The law also establishes the nation’s right to defend itself with a nuclear first strike.

Pyongyang has carried out six nuclear tests between 2006 and 2017 despite severe restrictions.

In defiance of UN Security Council resolutions, it has kept developing its military capacity, threatening its neighbors and perhaps even putting the US mainland within striking distance.

In 2019, Mr. Kim conducted nuclear tests and long-range rockets after two attention-grabbing but fruitless summits with the then-US president Donald Trump.

But talks between the countries have since stalled. President Joe Biden has not yet confirmed whether he will meet with Mr. Kim, despite the Biden administration having stated that it is willing to talk to Pyongyang.

The White House also stated that its outreach efforts and offers of assistance in relation to Pyongyang’s Covid outbreak have thus far gone unanswered.

The objective of “complete denuclearization” of the Korean peninsula was underlined by the US when it reviewed its North Korea strategy last year. The vice president promised to pursue it using a combination of diplomacy and “stern deterrence.” In response, Mr. Kim stated that his nation needed to be ready for both “dialogue and confrontation”.

However, this year has seen a rise in tensions on the Korean peninsula as a result of Pyongyang’s record-breaking missile launches.

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