North Korea declares itself nuclear state; Kim Jong Un says nukes reflect 'absolute power'

North Korea has approved a law declaring itself to be a nuclear weapons state, according to the official news agency KCNA. The state-owned media agency added that Kim Jong-un, the country's President, referred to the move as "irreversible." KCNA reported on September 9 that Kim pledged the country would "never give up" its nuclear weapons and stated there would be no conversations on denuclearization. 

The law also protects the nation's right to launch a nuclear strike before an attack to defend itself. It is worth noting here that Pyongyang conducted six nuclear tests between 2006 and 2017 in spite of crushing sanctions. The new law also prohibits the transfer of nuclear technology to foreign countries. It comes as regional tensions rise over North Korea's nuclear weapons and missile programmes.

In recent months, Kim has issued increasingly aggressive threats of nuclear war against the US and its Asian allies. In defiance of resolutions of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), North Korea has continued to develop its military capacity, posing a threat to its neighbours and perhaps even putting the US mainland within striking distance.

Nuclear weapons reflect the "dignity, body, and absolute power of the state," Kim added, praising the country's parliament, the Supreme People's Assembly, for unanimously passing the new law.

Rising tension between US & North Korea 

Following two attention-grabbing but fruitless summits with then-US president Donald Trump, Kim conducted long-range launches and nuclear tests in 2019. However, since then, negotiations between both nations have stopped. The US government has said it is open to communicating with Pyongyang, but it hasn't said whether President Joe Biden will meet with the North Korean President.

The White House also stated that its outreach efforts and offers of assistance in relation to Pyongyang's COVID-19 outbreak have thus far gone unanswered. The objective of "total denuclearization" of the Korean peninsula was underlined by the US when it reviewed its North Korea strategy last year.

The US President vowed to pursue it using a combination of diplomacy and "severe deterrence." In response, Kim stated that his nation needed to be ready for both "conversation 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.

Image: AP