North Korea Now a 'Nuclear Weapons State,' Kim Jong-un Says It's for National Defense

North Korea's leader, Kim Jong Un, says that the country's new law making it a nuclear weapons state is "irreversible."

North Korean state media reported on Friday that Kim said the country would "never give up" its nuclear weapons and that there could be no talks about denuclearization.

The new legislation also upholds Pyongyang's ability to employ preemptive nuclear attacks to defend itself, amending a prior posture in which it declared it would preserve its weapons only until other nations denuclearized and not use them prematurely against non-nuclear states, according to a report from CNN.

Kim said that nuclear weapons show the "dignity, body, and absolute power of the state." He was pleased that the country's parliament, the Supreme People's Assembly, unanimously voted to pass the new law.

Kim stated the application of laws and rules about the North Korea Nuclear weapons policy is a big deal because it shows that the country legally possesses "war deterrence as a means of national defense."

"As long as nuclear weapons exist on Earth, and imperialism and the anti-North Korean maneuvers of the US and its followers remain, our road to strengthening our nuclear force will never end," the North Korean leader said.

The new law also says that North Korea is prohibited to share its nuclear technology with other countries.

Irresponsible Measure

Leif-Eric Easley, an associate professor of international studies at Ewha Woman's University in Seoul, claimed that Kim's remarks didn't seem to be delivered confidently.

Easley noted that while boasting about having nuclear weapons, Kim is afraid of regime overthrow in a war and even of a U.S. or South Korean preemptive strike against North Korea's critical assets, as per a report from Al Jazeera.

"These concerns would be best addressed through diplomacy and reducing self-isolation, but instead Pyongyang is advertising an irresponsibly risky and aggressive nuclear doctrine. Such pariah state behavior is likely to deepen arms race dynamics in Asia as other countries act to counter North Korean threats to stability," the expert remarked.

Superpowers React To Pyongyang's New Nuclear Policy

Biden's government has offered to talk to Kim anytime, anywhere, and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol said his nation would provide substantial economic help if Pyongyang gave up its weapons, as reported by Reuters.

In response to the new law, Russia's Foreign Ministry said on Friday that it was "closely watching" any military activity on the Korean peninsula.

When questioned about the North Korea Nuclear weapons issue on Friday during a routine briefing, China, a close friend of North Korea, said that its policy on the Korean peninsula "had not changed." However, Mao Ning, a foreign ministry spokesperson, did not elaborate on the law or its consequences.

China's policy on the Korean peninsula has always included a commitment to North Korea giving up its nuclear weapons.

"We will act in accordance with the broad framework of maintaining peace and stability on the (Korean) Peninsula," the Chinese official noted.