North Korea declares nuclear status 'irreversible' after IAEA rebuke — SkimNews
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- Kim Yo Jong accused the IAEA of "double standards" on Sept 19 after the agency adopted a resolution criticizing North Korea's nuclear programme, calling the bias "the fundamental factor causing the collapse of the international nuclear non-proliferation system."
- Kim Yo Jong claimed the IAEA turned a blind eye to the US and South Korea's "nuclear submarine introduction plan" while forcibly adopting a resolution against North Korea's "self-defensive and legitimate nuclear activities."
- North Korea's Foreign Ministry declared in a separate KCNA statement that the country's status as a nuclear power is "irreversible" and backed by its nuclear deterrent.
- Kim Jong Un completed a three-day inspection tour of major munitions factories this week, directing that artillery forces fight and deter war with "the most concentrated and destructive, massive and versatile offensive capability."
- Analysts cited by Reuters say North Korea has overhauled its military with Russian help since the two countries signed a mutual defence treaty in 2024, with combat experience from troops deployed to Ukraine aiding the effort.
- Kim Jong Un lectured propaganda workers in Pyongyang on Sept 18, telling them modern "ideological warfare" must be "innovative, creative and aggressive" rather than repeating old methods.
Why it matters: North Korea's blanket rejection of the IAEA resolution — paired with Kim Jong Un's munitions factory tour and calls for aggressive ideological warfare — signals Pyongyang is doubling down on nuclear and conventional deterrence rather than engaging the international community. With Russian military help since the 2024 mutual defence treaty and combat lessons from Ukraine, North Korea is hardening both its arsenal and its messaging against outside criticism.
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