Vienna: North Korea announced that its designation as a nuclear weapons state has been "permanently" enshrined in its law, criticizing the United States for its persistent claims regarding Pyongyang's denuclearization during an international meeting. The statement came from North Korea's permanent mission to the U.N. office and international organization in Vienna, which expressed disapproval of the U.S.'s stance on the North's nuclear weapons program in a recent International Atomic Energy Agency session.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the statement, relayed by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), condemned the U.S.'s actions, framing them as indicative of a consistent hostile attitude towards the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. The North Korean mission expressed serious concern over potential negative repercussions resulting from this stance.

North Korea argued that while the U.S. criticizes its possession of nuclear weapons as "illegal," it is the United States that disrupts the international nuclear non-proliferation system with its nuclear arms expansion. North Korea emphasized that its status as a nuclear weapons state, now permanently inscribed in its supreme and basic law, is irreversible. The statement underscored North Korea's ongoing opposition to any efforts to alter this status.

The announcement follows North Korea's continued enhancement of its nuclear and weapons capabilities, dismissing dialogue proposals from the United States and South Korea. Earlier in the month, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited a research institute responsible for developing a high-thrust solid-fuel engine. He noted that this new engine would be employed in the forthcoming Hwasong-20 intercontinental ballistic missile currently under development.