North Korea's Foreign Ministry dismissed a resolution from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) criticizing Pyongyang's nuclear weapons program, declaring Saturday, September 19, that its status as a nuclear power is "irreversible" and backed by its nuclear deterrent, according to state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
What Triggered the Rebuke
The IAEA's 70th General Conference opened in Vienna earlier in the week, where South Korea and European countries raised concerns that North Korea's nuclear program poses a serious threat to the international nonproliferation regime, calling on Pyongyang to fulfill its obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Ahead of the session, the IAEA released its latest Director General's Safeguards Report on North Korea, documenting a substantial increase in uranium enrichment capacity and continued expansion at key nuclear facilities.
Kim Yo-jong's Response
Kim Yo-jong, director of the General Affairs Department of the Workers' Party and sister of leader Kim Jong Un, rejected the IAEA's denuclearization call on Thursday, September 17, calling the remarks "familiar silly talk." "They are all noises, not surprising and not new, that we can hear always at this time of every year, like the sounds from the autoresponder day and night," she said, according to KCNA. Kim declared North Korea's status as a nuclear weapons state "is absolute which cannot reverse with anything." Notably, her statement was released only through KCNA's international feed and was not published in the Rodong Sinmun, the Workers' Party's official printed daily accessible to the North Korean public.
The Foreign Ministry's Separate Statement
In a follow-up statement Saturday, North Korea's Foreign Ministry reinforced the message in even more definitive terms, formally dismissing the IAEA resolution and declaring the country's nuclear-power status irreversible. It also accused the nuclear watchdog of applying "double standards."
Kim Jong Un's Military Activity This Week
Alongside the diplomatic pushback, KCNA reported that Kim Jong Un conducted a three-day inspection tour of major munitions factories this week. During the tour, Kim stressed that North Korea's artillery should be capable of both fighting and deterring war with "the most concentrated and destructive, massive and versatile offensive capability." He said the country's efforts to modernize "all components of its defence capability" are producing "a significant change" in the composition and means of its armed forces. Kim separately gave a lecture to a propaganda workers' training session in Pyongyang, telling attendees that modern "ideological warfare" needed to be innovative, creative, and aggressive rather than relying on old methods.
Why This Language Matters
Analysts note the significance of the word "irreversible" itself: it signals there is no expectation of a grand bargain trading nuclear weapons for sanctions relief or diplomatic recognition — a notable shift from earlier decades, when North Korea sometimes left the door open to negotiations, even if only as a tactical maneuver. Pyongyang has, in effect, declared the broader denuclearization debate closed, positioning itself as a permanent nuclear power that the international community must simply accept.
A Consistent, Long-Running Position
This rejection continues a pattern North Korea has repeated at nearly every IAEA General Conference in recent years. In 2023, Pyongyang similarly denounced the IAEA as a "paid trumpeter" for Washington following a similar resolution. As recently as September 2025, North Korea's UN mission issued an almost identically worded statement declaring its nuclear status "irreversible," arguing the IAEA has "neither the legal authority nor the moral justification" to interfere in the affairs of a nuclear-armed state existing outside the NPT framework. North Korea withdrew from the IAEA entirely in 1994 following an earlier standoff over nuclear inspections.
A Military Buildup Aided by Russia
Analysts say North Korea has been substantially overhauling its military with Russian assistance since the two countries signed a mutual defence treaty in 2024. Combat experience gained by North Korean troops deployed to fight alongside Russia in the war in Ukraine has reportedly further aided this modernization effort — a dynamic that has added a new dimension to concerns about the pace and sophistication of North Korea's military development.
What's Next
With North Korea's position on denuclearization now stated in unusually blunt and definitive terms, and Kim Jong Un continuing to publicly emphasize military modernization, the prospects for any near-term diplomatic breakthrough on North Korea's nuclear program appear limited. For continuing coverage, see the full Al Jazeera report.