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North Korea declares itself a nuclear-weapon state; “irreversible” says Kim

THE North Korea passed a new law declaring a nuclear weapons state in a move that leader Kim Jong Un says is “irreversible”.

Kim promised the country would “never give up” on its nuclear weapons and said there could be no negotiations on denuclearization as he welcomed the law’s passage, North Korean state media reported on Friday.

The new law also enshrines Pyongyang’s right to use pre-emptive nuclear strikes to protect itself — updating an earlier position that it had said it would keep its weapons only until other countries denuclearize and not use them pre-emptively against non-nuclear states.

At nuclear weapons represent the “dignity, body and absolute power of the state,” Kim said in welcoming the decision of the country’s parliament – ​​the Supreme People’s Assembly – to pass the new law in a unanimous vote.

“The adoption of laws and regulations related to the national nuclear force policy is a notable event as it is our declaration that we have legally acquired war deterrence as a means of national defense,” Kim said.

“As long as there are nuclear weapons on Earth, and imperialism and anti-North Korean maneuvers by the United States and its followers remain, our path to strengthening our nuclear force will never end.”

The new law also prohibits the sharing of nuclear technology with other countries. It comes amid growing regional tensions over North Korea’s expansion of its nuclear weapons and missile program.

Kim has made increasingly provocative threats of nuclear conflict against the United States and its allies in Asia in recent months. At the same time, the US is increasingly concerned that North Korea is preparing to conduct its first underground nuclear test in years.

Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, said the law demonstrates Pyongyang’s hopes of strengthening its relations with China and Russia at a time of rising global tensions.

“North Korea’s mention of the possibility of using nuclear weapons if and when an attack on the state and the leader is imminent is significant, while asserting that nuclear weapons are a defensive last resort,” Yang said.

Source: CNN Brasil

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