North Korea has strongly denounced a joint pledge by the United States, South Korea, and Japan for its denuclearization, calling it “absurd” and “outdated.”
The tension began when the U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul, and Japanese Foreign Minister Iwaya Takeshi met on the sidelines of a security conference in Munich. During this meeting, they issued a statement reaffirming their commitment to North Korea’s complete denuclearization. This is the first such meeting since the inauguration of U.S. President Donald Trump.
In response, North Korea’s foreign ministry, through state media KCNA on Tuesday, strongly condemned the joint pledge. They described it as an “outdated, absurd” plan and warned against what they called “foolish acts inciting collective hostility and conflicts.”
An unnamed ministry spokesperson in a statement carried by KCNA said “As long as the U.S. and its vassal forces’ hostile threat exists, the DPRK’s nukes are means for defending peace and sovereignty and a means for legitimate self-defense entrusted by the constitution of the state.”
South Korea’s foreign ministry urged the North to cease its illicit weapons programs and return to the path to denuclearization.
Lee Jae-woong, ministry spokesperson said at a briefing: “North Korea will never be recognized as a nuclear weapons state. We hope that they will realize that the development of nuclear weapons and missiles will only hinder their own security and economic development.”
As this situation continues to evolve, we will keep you updated with the latest developments.
