North Korean Nukes.

News | Konor Nichols | September 16th, 2022.

North Korea has long been regarded as a nation of unknown but threatening nuclear capabilities. As the current Supreme Leader, Kim Jong-un has conducted 160 missile tests in 10 short years in comparison to the previous leadership of Kim Jong-il, who conducted 16 in the span of 11 years. It is because of these facts that the United States has long instated sanctions against North Korea, as well as joined the Non-Proliferation Treaty, including South Korea, North Korea, China, Japan, and Russia, in hopes of reaching denuclearization of the peninsula.

It is actions such as these that kept North Korea in a state of cooperation with denuclearization talks. However, in recent events, North Korea signed a new policy into law, which outlines a new state of nuclearisation that is “irreversible,” rolling back progress made at the 2018 summits held for nuclearisation talks. Even more worrisome to the United Nations, Kim Jong-un addressed his assembly that "the utmost significance of legislating nuclear weapons policy is to draw an irretrievable line so that there can be no bargaining over our nuclear weapons." Kim also added that he is keen on this move even if it incurs 100 years of sanctions.

Although the United States has claimed to have no hostile intent toward North Korea, arguments have arisen that the U.S.’s hostility towards the nation has been a major factor in the struggle to keep North Korea in cooperation with denuclearization talks. There are concerns in regards to the current events playing out that have been in circulation as early as late 2019, with officials such as Kim Yong Chol (Chairman of the Korea Asia-Pacific Peace Committee) stating “it will be possible to consult the denuclearization only when confidence-building between [North Korea] and the U.S. goes first and all the threats to the security and development of [North Korea] are removed.” This sentiment was later echoed by Ju Yong Chol (Counselor at North Korea’s UN Mission) in early 2020. Ju expressed concern that “if the U.S. persists in such hostile policy towards [North Korea] there will never be the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula”.

Despite these warnings, North Korea was still in a place of discontent with the previous state of denuclearization, triggering the passing of this new law and placing the world on high alert. The U.N. Secretary General’s office released the following statement: "The Secretary-General reiterates his call to [North Korea] to resume dialogue with the key parties concerned with a view to achieving sustainable peace and the complete and verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula." So, although the future of this development is still unclear, it seems as if attempts at reform will continue to be in the works.