North Korea officially declares itself a nuclear power
North Korea has passed a law declaring itself to be a nuclear weapons state and the leader of the country, Kim Jong-un, has the sole right to make any decisions concerning nuclear weapons, RIA Novosti reports with reference to the South Korean News Agency Yonhap
According to Yonhap, which cites the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), the Nuclear Weapons Policy decree was adopted by the 14th Supreme People’s Assembly of the DPRK at its September 7th session.
The document consists of 11 paragraphs, which contain provisions on the purpose of nuclear weapons, the composition of nuclear forces, command and control over them, enforcement of decisions on the use of nuclear weapons, the principles and conditions for their use, mobilisation, safe maintenance and protection, as well as mass strengthening and updates.
The third paragraph on ‘command and control over nuclear weapons’ stipulates that the leader of the DPRK has the sole right to dispose of nuclear arsenals and ‘makes all decisions concerning nuclear weapons’.
Kim Jong-un, speaking at the seventh session of the 14th Supreme People’s Assembly of the DPRK (SPC) in Pyongyang, also said that North Korea would never give up nuclear weapons, even if it would face centenary sanctions.
