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North Korea Declares Nuclear Status Permanent, Irreversible

By Drooid · Sep 24, 2026, 10:08 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

North Korea Declares Permanence

North Korea's foreign minister Choe Son Hui declared the country's nuclear-weapon status permanent and irreversible.
South Korea President Lee Jae Myung proposed freezing North Korea's nuclear and missile development as a first step.
North Korea tested updated 240-mm multiple-launch rockets on September 22, reaching targets up to 115 km away.
Lee Jae Myung warned North Korea could produce 10-20 additional nuclear weapons per year, possibly exporting them for profit.

Summary

Lee Advances AI Initiative

Lee will use the UN General Assembly to promote South Korea’s AI benefits initiative globally.
Lee called for UN reforms to cut duplication and grant field personnel authority for rapid crisis response.
South Korea is weighing expanding its naval unit in the Gulf of Aden to protect vessels.
Lee noted President Donald Trump’s unexpected reduction of the Ulchi Freedom Shield drill without South Korea consultation.

History

Historical Context

In October 1994 the United States and North Korea signed the Agreed Framework in Geneva, freezing Yongbyon’s plutonium reactor and promising 500,000 tons of heavy fuel oil and two light-water reactors. The eight-year freeze ended when the pact collapsed in 2003, after which Pyongyang resumed its weapons program. Today, minister Choe Son Hui’s nuclear-arsenal claim and President Lee Jae Myung’s UN push echo the old freeze-and-monitor rhetoric.

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North Korea Declares Permanence

North Korea's foreign minister Choe Son Hui declared the country's nuclear-weapon status permanent and irreversible.
South Korea President Lee Jae Myung proposed freezing North Korea's nuclear and missile development as a first step.
North Korea tested updated 240-mm multiple-launch rockets on September 22, reaching targets up to 115 km away.
Lee Jae Myung warned North Korea could produce 10-20 additional nuclear weapons per year, possibly exporting them for profit.

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