North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at the First Session of the 15th Supreme People's Assembly at Mansudae Assembly Hall in Pyongyang. (March 22, 2026)
North Korea's nuclear status “irreversible”: Kim
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North Korea will never change its status as a nuclear-armed state, its leader Kim Jong Un said, state media reported on Tuesday.
"We will continue to firmly consolidate our status as a nuclear-armed state as an irreversible course, while aggressively stepping up our struggle against hostile forces," he said in a policy speech delivered on Monday at the rubber-stamp legislature in Pyongyang.
Kim Jong Un also said North Korea would respond "mercilessly" if South Korea violates its rights and called Seoul "the most hostile" entity.
"We will designate South Korea as the most hostile state and deal with it by thoroughly," he said in a speech delivered to the legislature on Monday.
Pyongyang will "make it pay mercilessly -- without the slightest consideration or hesitation -- for any act that infringes upon our republic," he added.
