Eva Deschamps / September 9, 2022
A new escalation in the issue of North Korea's nuclear arsenal: Pyongyang has passed a law authorizing it to carry out a preemptive atomic strike and declaring the country's nuclear power status irreversible, state media reported Friday.
If the command and control system of the national nuclear force is in danger of being attacked by hostile forces, a nuclear strike is carried out automatically and immediately, the law states, according to the state agency KCNA.
By this new text, the status of our country as a nuclear weapons state has become irreversible, said North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, according to KCNA.
The announcement comes amidst tense inter-Korean relations. Pyongyang has conducted a record number of missile tests this year, and has accused Seoul of being responsible for the recent Covid-19 outbreak in the country.
In July, Mr. Kim said his country was ready to deploy its nuclear deterrent in case of a possible military confrontation with the United States and South Korea.
It is totally out of the question (for us) to give up nuclear weapons, and there can be no denuclearization or negotiation, he said Thursday in a speech before the North Korean parliament, according to KCNA.
North Korea has conducted a series of tests this year despite sanctions, including testing an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) for the first time since 2017.
U.S. and South Korean officials have repeatedly warned that the North is preparing to conduct what would become its seventh nuclear test.