SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea will retain its nuclear weapons indefinitely, the country’s foreign minister announced on Thursday, September 24, 2026, rejecting renewed calls from South Korea for the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula.
Okay News reports that North Korea’s Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui issued a statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency confirming the state’s position.
“I reaffirm and reconfirm in the strongest tone of voice the steadfast will of our state to keep nuclear weapons through all ages,” Choe said. She added that the country’s nuclear status was “irreversible in any case and will remain unchanged forever” and stated that North Korea’s status as a nuclear weapons state was “everlasting.”
The statement followed an address to the United Nations General Assembly by South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, who called for an end to the expansion of Pyongyang’s weapons capabilities and urged the creation of a peninsula “free from nuclear weapons.” Lee also stated that South Korea would “lay the groundwork” for resuming dialogue between North Korea and the United States, noting that U.S. President Donald Trump “clearly wants dialogue” with Pyongyang. Trump stated last month that he intended to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un later this year.
“The coexistence of confrontation and dialogue may be workable for anyone, but they can never be a considerable one for the DPRK,” Choe said.
Separately, Pyongyang announced on Thursday that it conducted tests of “updated 240-millimetre controlled multiple-launch rockets” on September 22, 2026. According to the Korean Central News Agency, the tested systems are capable of striking targets at a distance of up to 115 kilometres (71 miles).
North Korea’s vice foreign minister is scheduled to speak before the United Nations General Assembly next week.
