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North Korea Refuses Denuclearization in Defiant UN Speech

9/30/2025

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Summary

Story summary

Kim Sonkyong, North Korea's Vice Foreign Minister, told the United Nations General Assembly on September 29 that Pyongyang will never denuclearize.
He argued denuclearization demands surrender sovereignty and survival rights.
South Korea's foreign ministry reaffirmed denuclearization as UN-backed goal and noted this is North Korea's first high-level UN speech in seven years after a 2019 breakdown.

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Story summary

Kim Sonkyong, North Korea's Vice Foreign Minister, told the United Nations General Assembly on September 29 that Pyongyang will never denuclearize.
He argued denuclearization demands surrender sovereignty and survival rights.
South Korea's foreign ministry reaffirmed denuclearization as UN-backed goal and noted this is North Korea's first high-level UN speech in seven years after a 2019 breakdown.