North Korea says nuclear status irreversible, rejects test halt

2026-09-24 02:18 UTC – 2026-09-24 21:47 UTC

Neutral summary

North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui said the country will keep its nuclear weapons “forever” and that its status as a nuclear power is “irreversible in any case and will remain unchanged forever”. The statement, carried by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), was a response to a joint statement by the US, Japanese and South Korean foreign ministers committing to the complete denuclearization of North Korea, as well as to South Korean President Lee Jae Myung’s address to the UN General Assembly, where he called for a Korean Peninsula “free from nuclear weapons”. Choe Son Hui stressed that the louder the US and its allies call for denuclearization, the stronger the legitimacy of North Korea’s nuclear weapons becomes and the tougher Pyongyang’s stance will be. Later the same day, the North Korean Foreign Ministry rejected an international statement calling for a halt to nuclear tests, describing it as a “grave political provocation” by “hostile forces”. Earlier, according to Yonhap, North Korea fired two ballistic missiles into the East Sea. Handelsblatt reported that the North Korean Foreign Ministry called denuclearization a “unrealistic illusion”.

How it was framed

Outlets: 19. Countries: 10. Facts in the shared core: 6.

Publication timeline

2026-09-24 02:18 · Yonhap News Agency (English) (outlet profile)
(URGENT) N. Korean foreign minister says will to keep nuclear weapons irreversible. (END)
2026-09-24 02:33 · NRK (outlet profile)
Nord-Korea vil ikke gi opp atomvåpen. Nord-Korea slår fast at landets status som atommakt ikke kan endres. – Jo mer USA og deres allierte krever at vi skal kvitte oss med atomvåpnene, desto hardere vil vi stå på vårt, s…
2026-09-24 02:48 · Yonhap News Agency (English) (outlet profile)
N. Korea's will to keep nuclear weapons through 'all ages' irreversible: FM. SEOUL, Sept. 24 (Yonhap) -- North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui said Thur...
2026-09-24 02:54 · ТАСС (outlet profile)
В КНДР заявили, что не откажутся от обладания ядерным оружием. Министр иностранных дел республики Цой Сон Хи подчеркнула, что Пхеньян рассматривает ядерное оружие как "ядро неприкосновенного государственного суверенитет…
2026-09-24 03:20 · Интерфакс (outlet profile)
В МИД КНДР заявили, что ядерный статус Пхеньяна останется неизменным. Недавнее совместное заявление глав внешнеполитических ведомств США, Японии и Южной Кореи об их приверженности полной денуклеаризации КНДР не повлияет…
2026-09-24 03:39 · Le Parisien (outlet profile)
« Conserver nos armes nucléaires pour toujours » : la Corée du Nord réaffirme son ambition de puissance atomique irréversible
2026-09-24 03:50 · Channel NewsAsia (outlet profile)
North Korea to keep nuclear weapons 'forever', says foreign minister
2026-09-24 03:54 · TASS (англ.) (outlet profile)
North Korea’s status as nuclear state to remain irreversible — news agency. Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui commented on the results of a trilateral meeting between the top diplomats of the US, Japan and South Korea, as c…
2026-09-24 04:18 · Lenta.ru (outlet profile)
В КНДР отвергли отказ от ядерного оружия
2026-09-24 04:18 · BFMTV (outlet profile)
"Irréversible dans tous les cas": la Corée du Nord dit vouloir garder ses armes nucléaires "pour toujours". La ministre nord-coréenne des Affaires étrangères Choe Son Hui a "réaffirmé" que son pays conservera ses armes…
2026-09-24 04:51 · CNews (outlet profile)
Corée du Nord : Pyongyang dit vouloir garder ses armes nucléaires «pour toujours». Par l'intermédiaire de sa ministre des Affaires étrangères, Choe Son Hui, la Corée du Nord a fait savoir qu'elle souhaitait conserver se…
2026-09-24 04:58 · Times of India (outlet profile)
North Korea rejects denuclearisation; weapons will stay 'forever'
2026-09-24 05:22 · Blic (outlet profile)
SEVERNA KOREJA NE ODUSTAJE Neće denuklearizaciju: "Nuklearno oružje zadržaćemo zauvek". Severna Koreja neće odustati od svog nuklearnog oružja, a njen status nuklearne sile, kako je poručeno iz Pjongjanga, ostaće neprom…
2026-09-24 06:27 · Inquirer.net (outlet profile)
North Korea to keep nuclear weapons 'forever' – foreign minister. SEOUL — North Korea will keep its nuclear weapons “forever”, its foreign minister vowed Thursday, dismissing the South Korean president…
2026-09-24 07:42 · B92 (outlet profile)
To je to, poruka je poslata: "Ostajemo nuklearna sila, zauvek"; Napadne sposobnosti biće najsmrtonosnije. Ministarka spoljnih poslova Severne Koreje Čoe Son Hui izjavila je danas da je odluka Pjongjanga da zad…
2026-09-24 15:10 · Handelsblatt (outlet profile)
Nordkorea: Regierung nennt Denuklearisierung „unrealistische Illusion“. Das nordkoreanische Außenministerium hat den Status des Landes als Atommacht als unumkehrbar bezeichnet. Je mehr die USA und ihre Verbündeten auf e…
2026-09-24 15:17 · Asharq Al-Awsat (outlet profile)
North Korea Rejects Call to Halt Nuclear Tests
2026-09-24 17:55 · Insajder (outlet profile)
Severna Koreja odbacila poziv da obustavi nuklearne probe: "Ozbiljna politička provokacija". Ministarstvo spoljnih poslova Severne Koreje odbacilo je danas međunarodnu izjavu kojom se ta zemlja poziva da obustavi nuklea…
2026-09-24 20:21 · Channel NewsAsia (outlet profile)
North Korea rejects call to halt nuclear tests. North Korea rejected calls to stop nuclear tests, calling the international statement a “grave political provocation”.
2026-09-24 21:40 · N1 Srbija (outlet profile)
Severna Koreja odbacila poziv na obustavu nuklearnih proba. Ministarstvo spoljnih poslova Severne Koreje odbacilo je danas međunarodnu izjavu kojom se ta zemlja poziva da obustavi nuklearne probe, a portparol u
2026-09-24 21:47 · Danas (outlet profile)
Severna Koreja odbacila poziv na obustavu nuklearnih proba. Ministarstvo spoljnih poslova Severne Koreje odbacilo je danas međunarodnu izjavu kojom se ta zemlja poziva da obustavi nuklearne probe, a portparol u Pjongjan…

Factual core

North Korea stated it will not give up its nuclear weapons.
North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui stated that Pyongyang's decision to keep nuclear weapons forever is irreversible.
Choe Son-hui's statement was published by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Thursday.
The trilateral meeting involved the foreign ministers of the US, Japan, and South Korea.
The US, South Korea, and Japan demanded that North Korea completely halt its nuclear weapons program.
The rejection was made in response to an international appeal

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