North Korean leader declares he will not denuclearize.
Leader Kim Jong-un emphasized that calls for denuclearization amount to an attack on the constitutional order, as the country's nuclear status is enshrined in law.
According to TASS on September 22, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un declared that North Korea will not give up its nuclear weapons. His statement was quoted by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
"And now there are many forces supporting the U.S. slogan of denuclearization. These forces ignore the sovereignty of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and seriously violate that sovereignty," said leader Kim Jong-un.
He asserted that calls for Pyongyang to denuclearize amounted to an attack on the constitutional order, because North Korea's nuclear status is enshrined in the country's basic law.
"Could we possibly take an unconstitutional action? Why would we agree to denuclearization?" - Leader Kim Jong-un declared, adding, "Lifting sanctions? Never."
Kim Jong-un also reiterated the new South Korean administration's three-stage denuclearization concept, which includes freezing the nuclear program, reducing the arsenal, and finally, complete abandonment. "Recently, they have put forward the idea of a phased denuclearization, thereby destroying the foundation for dialogue with us," Leader Kim Jong-un noted.
He emphasized that North Korea will not give up its nuclear weapons.
In addition, the North Korean leader said there was no reason to avoid dialogue with the US if Washington stopped demanding that the country abandon its nuclear weapons. However, Kim Jong-un asserted that he would never trade his nuclear arsenal for the sake of escaping sanctions.
These comments come as the new government in Seoul is urging U.S. President Donald Trump to take the lead in reopening dialogue with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, six years after all peace talks with Pyongyang collapsed due to disagreements over sanctions and denuclearization.
KCNA quoted Kim as saying: "If the U.S. abandons its absurd obsession with denuclearizing us and accepts reality, and truly desires peaceful coexistence, then there is no reason why we cannot sit down with the U.S.
