Pyongyang: North Korea has threatened a harsh response to any attempt to give up its nuclear weapons, citing a recently revised policy that allows for the use of nuclear bombs in the event of a grave threat.
Senior Foreign Ministry official Jo Chol-su attacked US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield in comments published by the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Wednesday.
Thomas-Greenfield earlier this week urged the international body to adopt a resolution aimed at forcing Pyongyang to give up its nuclear weapons.
Also Read: $90 million has been pledged by Kuwait to help earthquake victims in Turkiye, Syria
He added that an attempt to do so "will be dealt with strictly in accordance with the DPRK's nuclear forces," adding that to do so would be a declaration of war.
A nuclear attack by a foreign power or when a "catastrophic crisis endangers the existence of the state or the security of the people" are only two of the five scenarios outlined in North Korea's recently passed nuclear weapons law that has changed its nuclear weapons policies. updated.
The US and its allies must work toward the "complete, verifiable and irreversible" denuclearization of North Korea, Thomas-Greenfield reiterated calls made by several prior administrations during a UN meeting on Monday.
Also Read: Israelis and Palestinians fight at the UN over Netanyahu's actions
However, the DPRK has repeatedly rejected US demands, claiming that its weapons are only for defensive purposes and that it has a legal right to possess them.
The representative also accused Russia and China of obstructing disarmament efforts as both countries regularly veto US-backed resolutions at the UN Security Council.
Moscow and Beijing have issued warnings that Washington's current strategy is unlikely to be effective and will only serve to increase tensions between the two Koreas.
Jo continued to threaten that Thomas-Greenfield "will be the first to stand in the judgment seat of justice as a pawn of the evil empire" if she "continues to speak maliciously without self-restraint" – Former President Ronald Reagan An explicit work of the famous description of the Soviet Union at the height of the Cold War.
Military activity on the Korean peninsula has increased significantly recently, and the North conducted a record number of weapons tests last year while Seoul and the US regularly engage in war games.
Also Read: Following a 15-hour tussle Thai police kill the gunman
Since coming to power in 2021, the current administration has taken a more combative approach, issuing a constant stream of threats and ultimatums.
While former President Donald Trump made occasional diplomatic inroads with Pyongyang, including a "freeze-for-freeze" deal that halted the DPRK's missile tests and US-South Korean exercises, the current administration has taken much more Took an aggressive approach.