Full Breakdown
North Korea Cites U.S.-Led Arms Buildup as Reason to Expand Nuclear Arsenal
By Drooid · · How we work
Core Event
On September 17, Vice-Defense Minister Kim Kang Il told the Beijing Xiangshan Forum that a “growing U.S.-led military build-up” and what he described as an “expanding nuclear alliance” among Washington, Seoul and Tokyo “fully justifies” the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s effort to “strengthen and expand” its nuclear forces. He reiterated that North Korea’s status as a nuclear-weapons state is “irreversible” and pledged to continue expanding the country’s nuclear deterrent.
Background
The remarks followed a September 16 statement by a North Korean defence-ministry spokesman that accused the United States and South Korea of escalating confrontation through joint weapons-of-mass-destruction response planning and exercises. The spokesman warned that such actions could trigger invocation of provisions in North Korea’s nuclear-force policy law. Earlier in the week, Kim Yo Jong, sister of leader Kim Jong Un, dismissed renewed international calls for denuclearisation as “annual noise,” emphasizing that the DPRK’s nuclear status is “physically and legally” permanent.
Official Statements from Pyongyang
Kim Kang Il framed the nuclear expansion as a defensive “solid nuclear shield” against what he termed “enemy states” whose arms buildup has reached an “extreme level.” Kim Yo Jong described denuclearisation demands as a “day-dream” and asserted that the DPRK’s nuclear position is a “line of no retreat.” The defence-ministry spokesman characterized U.S.–South Korean joint planning as an “open declaration of confrontation,” suggesting it could justify further nuclear actions under existing law.
Expert Analysis
Lim Eul-chul, a professor at Kyungnam University’s Institute for Far Eastern Studies, said the statements form part of a broader Pyongyang messaging campaign aimed at cementing the claim that the nuclear status has reached an “irreversible stage.” He noted that the rhetoric is intended to provide legal and political justification for future military and nuclear activities in response to perceived U.S. and South Korean pressure.
Implications for Regional Security
The officials’ framing links nuclear expansion directly to perceived external threats, signaling that Pyongyang may pursue additional tests or deployments as a countermeasure. The language underscores heightened diplomatic friction among the United States, South Korea, Japan and North Korea, and suggests that any de-escalation efforts will need to address Pyongyang’s insistence on an “irreversible” nuclear posture.