North Korea: Nuclear Weapon State

North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un, claims the new legislation ‘automatically’ ensures the country would never give up its nuclear weapons. The leader claims that North Korea’s current condition is “irreversible” and that the military has been granted authority to “automatically” implement atomic bombs.

According to the law, as per the official news agency KCNA, “a nuclear strike must be launched automatically and quickly to eliminate the hostile forces” if the command-and-control system over the state nuclear forces is threatened because of an assault by hostile forces.

Following a summit with many global leaders, including then-US president Donald Trump, North Korea has been planning to resume nuclear testing for the first time since 2017.

As a substitute for a 2013 legislation that first described North Korea’s nuclear status, the Supreme People’s Assembly, the country’s parliament, enacted the law on Thursday, according to KCNA on Friday.

In an address to the assembly, Kim said, “The most important purpose of drafting nuclear weapons policy is to draw an irrevocable line so that there can be no negotiating over our nuclear weapons.” He added that he would never give up the weapons, even if it meant facing 100 years of sanctions.

According to a member of the parliament, the measure would ultimately ensure that North Korea had a strong legal assurance to maintain its status as a nuclear weapon state.

As per KCNA, this rule forbids exchanging nuclear technology or weaponry with any foreign countries in an effort to lessen the risk of nuclear weapons states and weapon abuse.

Yoon Suk-yeol, the president of South Korea, who took office in May, has publicly emphasized the need for a “Kill Chain” system to defend against a nuclear attack from North Korea. Yoon Suk-yeol is also investing resources in enhancing the weapons that would be used in such plans, such as F-35A stealth fighters and missiles fired from submarines.

The administration of Joe Biden has stated its willingness to speak with Kim at any time or location, and Yoon Suk-yeol, the president of South Korea, has said that his nation would provide significant economic assistance if Pyongyang started to give up its weapons.

In its first direct outreach under Yoon, South Korea on Thursday proposed to meet with North Korea to discuss family reunions affected by the 1950–1953 Korean War, despite tense relations between the two countries.