The North Korean leader told the country's rubber-stamp parliament he will "firmly consolidate our status as a nuclear-armed state." South Korean analysts said the comments reflect Pyongyang's belief that nuclear weapons deter intervention. "These circumstances have reinforced Pyongyang's long-standing argument that nuclear weapons are essential" for regime survival, said Yang Moo-jin of the University of North Korea Studies. Pyongyang concluded a two-day session of the Supreme People's Assembly on Monday, during which it passed a revised version of the North Korean constitution. South Korea's presidential Blue ‌House ⁠said ⁠on ​Tuesday that ​North Korean ​leader ‌Kim Jong Un's declaration ‌of the ‌South ​as "the most hostile state" ​is undesirable for ⁠peaceful ​co-existence ​on the ​Korean ‌peninsula, Yonhap news ​agency ⁠reported.

Source: The North Africa Journal March 25, 2026 05:33 UTC