Kim Jong Un criticizes US-South Korea nuclear submarine cooperation, declares North Korea's nuclear status irreversible

Seoul, South Korea (CNA, June 23, Foreign News) - North Korean state media reported today that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un emphasized at a Workers' Party meeting that North Korea will accelerate its military buildup in response to South Korea and the United States promoting military modernization and building nuclear submarines on the Korean Peninsula.

The Korean War, which took place from 1950 to 1953, ended with an armistice agreement, not a peace treaty, so technically North and South Korea remain in a state of war. North Korea is also subject to multiple international sanctions due to its nuclear program.

North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that Kim Jong Un presided over a three-day plenary meeting of the Workers' Party, where senior officials reviewed various policy plans.

Kim Jong Un concluded by stating: "With the joint promotion by the United States and South Korea to give South Korea nuclear submarines, the moves by the US and South Korea to strengthen their modern military forces are becoming increasingly blatant."

Kim Jong Un said that in the face of these developments, North Korea should "firmly stand its ground" and further strengthen its reliable "deterrent power for self-defense."

Regarding nuclear weapons, the Korean Central News Agency reported that the Workers' Party plenary meeting "unanimously agreed" that in the unpredictable international military and political situation, North Korea's establishment of nuclear weapons status is "the correct way to actively respond and the only option."

The summit between Kim Jong Un and US President Trump in Hanoi, Vietnam in 2019 broke down without reaching consensus on denuclearization and sanctions relief. Since then, North Korea has repeatedly claimed that its establishment of nuclear weapons is "irreversible." (Compiled by Chi Chin-ling) 1150623

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