North Korea has reiterated that it has no intention of giving up its nuclear program and has blamed the United States for “creating tension” on the Korean peninsula, after US President Donald Trump described the country as a “nuclear power.” “, as reported.
The country led by Kim Jong-un has conducted six nuclear tests since 2006 and has consistently stated that it will never give up its nuclear weapons. It also demands recognition as a nuclear power, something both the United States and its ally South Korea have firmly rejected, calling instead for the “denuclearization” of North Korea.
After his inauguration on Monday, however, Trump mentioned North Korea in a brief exchange with the media in which he referred to the country as a “nuclear power.” “We get along well. I think he will be happy with my return to power,” the US president told reporters, referring to the North Korean leader.
Trump’s reference, according to the same media, raised the possibility of a change in US policy towards recognition of the country’s nuclear status. “As a responsible nuclear-weapon state, we will continue our efforts to prevent all forms of war and protect peace and stability,” Jo Chol Su, North Korea’s permanent representative to the United Nations Office at Geneva, said Tuesday. during a UN conference on disarmament.
“The United States has been conducting aerial espionage against North Korea since the beginning of the year… US political and military provocations are the main cause of the outbreak of armed conflicts and the weakening of regional stability,” he added.
Furthermore, he noted that “the only way to protect peace is through the strongest defense. We will firmly prevent any attempt by hostile forces to provoke us militarily.”
