North Korea's UN ambassador Kim Song said Thursday that Pyongyang is not bound by the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty under any circumstances, denouncing attempts by the US and other countries to enforce treaty obligations as a violation of international law.
Kim Song, Pyongyang's permanent representative to the UN, made the statement dated May 6 and carried by the official Korean Central News Agency. He said North Korea's nuclear program reflects its obligations under the law on nuclear forces policy and the constitution, which enshrines its legal status as a nuclear-armed state.
The statement came during the 11th Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, now under way at UN headquarters. North Korea withdrew from the treaty in 1993. The remarks also followed expectations that North Korea could feature on the agenda at a planned summit between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing next week.
Kim denounced what he called the "brigandish and shameless acts" of the US and other countries for challenging Pyongyang's nuclear rights. He added that the DPRK's status as a nuclear weapons state does not change according to outside assertions.
