North Korea amends constitution to bolster & expand nuclear force

North Korea has amended its constitution to bolster and expand its nuclear force. The country s parliament added the law into North Korea s constitution after two days of meetings It was passed by North Korea s Supreme People s Assembly (SPA) where leader Kim Jong Un addressed participants and called the move a historic event that provided a powerful political lever to boost national defense capabilities and protect national interests The state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that the country’s policy of strengthening its nuclear force is now permanent And he said U.S. military drills and deployment of strategic assets in the region were extreme provocations in recent decades, including famine in the 1990s, often as a result of natural disasters and international experts have warned that border closures during the COVID-19 pandemic worsened food security matters

The move while mostly symbolic reinforces North Korea s view that it is a forever nuclear power and that the idea of denuclearizing or giving up its weapons a key demand of the US and its Western allies, is not up for discussion Kim also justified Pyongyang s accelerating weapons development programme by pointing to the trilateral military cooperation between the United States South Korea and Japan which he called the worst actual threat South Korea’s unification ministry said the revised constitution showed Pyongyang’s strong will not to abandon its nuclear programme , South Korea and Japan as the “Asian-version NATO

We once again stress that North Korea will face an end of its regime if it uses nuclear weapons it warned in a statement Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said North Korea’s nuclear and missile development poses threats to peace and safety of our country and the international community and can never be tolerated The amendment comes a year after North Korea officially enshrined in law the right to use preemptive nuclear strikes to protect itself a move Kim had said would make its nuclear status irreversible Kim urged officials to further promote solidarity with the nations standing against the United States, denouncing trilateral cooperation between the U.S.

This is just the worst actual threat not threatening rhetoric or an imaginary entity he said Kim returned home last week from a trip to Russia during which he and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to boost military and economic cooperation U.S. and South Korean officials have expressed concern that Pyongyang could be seeking technological help for its nuclear and missile programs while Moscow tries to acquire ammunition from the North to supplement its dwindling stocks for the war in Ukraine Analysts said having the nuclear policy written into the constitution is a symbolic move, declaring the North’s intention to have a permanent nuclear force that it would not negotiate over

The new Cold War in the Northeast Asia region and military tensions on the Korean peninsula will intensify said Yang Moo-jin a professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul On Tuesday, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol warned Pyongyang of an overwhelming response” if it uses nuclear weapons as Seoul put on the first large-scale military parade in a decade in a show of force The announcement by parliament also comes after North Korean state media said on Wednesday Pyongyang had decided to expel Private Travis King, the U.S. soldier who ran into North Korea in July. The U.S. said he is now in American custody and heading home after being expelled to China In his speech, Kim said ensuring a major revamp of the country’s economy was “the most pressing task for the government,” and urged the agricultural sector to work harder to promote the people’s well-being The North has suffered serious food shortages