According to state media reports on Thursday, North Korea has officially incorporated its nuclear weapons status into its constitution, as confirmed by Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un. During a meeting of the State People's Assembly held on Tuesday and Wednesday, Kim declared that North Korea's policy of developing its nuclear capabilities has now become a permanent and fundamental aspect of the state's legal framework, one that no one is permitted to disregard.
Kim described this development as a historic event that has provided a potent political tool for significantly enhancing national defense capabilities. He urged government officials to further strengthen alliances with nations opposing the strategic interests of the United States and Western powers. Kim criticized the trilateral cooperation between the United States, South Korea, and Japan, likening it to an "Asian-version NATO," and characterized it as a genuine and imminent threat, rather than mere rhetoric or a fictional construct.
Throughout this year, North Korea has conducted an unprecedented number of weapons tests, prompting Kim to announce plans to expedite the production of nuclear weapons as a deterrent against perceived US provocations. There have been reports suggesting that Pyongyang may conduct its first nuclear test since 2017, having conducted a total of six nuclear tests since 2006.
Recently, Kim returned from Russia, where he and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to bolster military cooperation. Concerns have been raised by US and South Korean officials that North Korea might be seeking technological assistance for its nuclear and missile programs, while Moscow may be seeking ammunition supplies from North Korea to support its military operations in Ukraine.
Addressing the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on Tuesday, North Korea's UN envoy, Kim Song, blamed the United States and South Korea for creating circumstances that necessitated North Korea's rapid build-up of self-defense capabilities. He asserted that the US and its foreign allies' reckless behavior was pushing the Korean Peninsula perilously close to a nuclear conflict, rendering 2023 an exceptionally dangerous year for military security in the region.