North Korea says U.S.-led arms buildup justifies expanding nuclear force
The country's vice defense minister said its status as a nuclear weapons state was irreversible and pledged to continue expanding its nuclear arsenal.
Beijing, China - North Korea's Vice Defence Minister Kim Kang Il declared on Thursday that the increasing military expansion by the United States, along with the nuclear alliance involving the U.S., South Korea, and Japan, warranted Pyongyang's commitment to bolster and augment its nuclear arsenal. Addressing the Beijing Xiangshan Forum, China's premier global security conference, Kim asserted that North Korea's nuclear weapons status was irrevocable and pledged to persist in expanding its nuclear stockpile.
He referred to this as a "solid nuclear shield" for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).
Kim posited that as the enemy states' nuclear threat escalated to extreme levels, the DPRK would steadfastly safeguard peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in the region by continuously enhancing and reinforcing its defensive nuclear capabilities. He attributed the tensions on the Korean Peninsula to the United States' persistent hostile policy towards North Korea and accused the U.S. of transforming trilateral cooperation between South Korea and Japan into a nuclear alliance.
Kim emphasized that North Korea's constitutional status as a nuclear weapons state constituted a "no retreat" line and urged other nations to shun the "daydream" of denuclearization. His appearance at the Xiangshan Forum represented a rare high-profile appearance by North Korea at an international security gathering in recent times, coming as Pyongyang pursues closer ties with Beijing amid escalating tensions with Washington and its allies.
Regarding the potential meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Kim refrained from commenting on the likelihood of such a summit. Former U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun commented on the muted response from North Korea to Trump's frequent claims of communication with Kim Jong Un, suggesting that Pyongyang was not ruling out future talks with Washington.
Biegun posited that a meeting between Trump and Kim could transpire following the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in China in November.
Written by urgent.news from New Straits Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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