Pyongyang, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK)- The DPRK (North Korea)’s Parliament has passed a law declaring its readiness to launch preemptive nuclear strikes.
In addition, the DPRK said it will not hesitate to use nuclear strikes if it perceives threats to its senior leadership or important strategic targets.
However, the new legislation states that Pyongyang will not threaten non-nuclear States with nuclear weapons unless they attack the DPRK alongside a nuclear-armed country.
Moreso, the announcement comes at a time of heightened tension between the North and South, with Pyongyang blaming Seoul for the outbreak of COVID-19 in its territory and conducting a record number of weapons tests this year.
“The utmost significance of legislating nuclear weapons policy is to draw an irretrievable line so that there can be no bargaining over our nuclear weapons.
Let them sanction us for 100 days, 1 000 days, 10 years or 100 years. We will never give up our rights to self-defence that preserves our country’s existence and the safety of our people just to temporarily ease the difficulties we are experiencing now.
The adoption of laws and regulations related to the national nuclear force policy is a remarkable event as it’s our declaration that we legally acquired war deterrence as a means of national defence. As long as nuclear weapons exist on Earth, and imperialism and the anti-North Korean maneuvers of the US and its followers remain, our road to strengthening our nuclear force will never end,” said DPRK’s leader Kim Jong-un.
Western officials have repeatedly predicted an imminent nuclear test from the DPRK in recent months, claiming the military is preparing to hold its first trial since 2017 despite no official announcement.
In July, Kim said his country was ready to mobilize its nuclear capability in any war between the United States (US) and the South. He reiterated that Pyongyang would never give up the nuclear weapons it needed to counter hostilities from Washington, claiming the US was seeking to collapse his regime.
Kim has dialled up weapons tests to a record pace this year, launching more than 30 ballistic weapons, including the first demonstrations of his intercontinental ballistic missiles since 2017.
Nevertheless, US President Joe Biden’s administration has offered to talk to Kim any time, at any place, and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol has said his country would provide generous economic aid if Pyongyang began to give up its arsenal.
