North Korea’s ambassador to the United Nations has reiterated that his country has ruled out denuclearization talks. The official said that the North has the right to defend itself and that the possession of nuclear weapons is a part of the nation’s defense.
Ambassador Kim Song delivered a speech at the UN General Assembly on Monday.
Kim referred to the annual joint drills that the US and South Korean militaries staged in August. He said that such moves are “stirring up military confrontations still further.”
The ambassador went on to say that North Korea is a sovereign nation that has a legitimate right to self-defense. He was apparently referring to Pyongyang’s nuclear development program.
In September, North Korea publicly reported for the first time that its leader Kim Jong Un had inspected a uranium enrichment facility. The aim of the move may have been to show that Pyongyang plans to further advance its nuclear development program.