North Korea says nuclear status 'irreversible' after UN atomic agency rebuke
North Korea has rejected a recent UN atomic agency resolution criticizing its nuclear program, labeling its nuclear status as 'irreversible.' The regime accused the IAEA of double standards while continuing to modernize its military capabilities with alleged Russian support.
Why it matters
This escalation underscores the breakdown of international non-proliferation efforts and the deepening military ties between North Korea and Russia.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s sister, Kim Yo Jong, accused the International Atomic Energy Agency on Saturday (September 19, 2026) of double standards after it adopted a resolution criticising Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons programme.
The IAEA’s “biased viewpoint and double standards” are “the fundamental factor causing the collapse of the international nuclear non-proliferation system”, Kim Yo Jong said in a statement in state media KCNA.
She said the agency had turned a blind eye to the “blatant nuclear proliferation activities” of the United States and South Korea’s “nuclear submarine introduction plan”, while forcibly adopting a resolution against North Korea’s “self-defensive and legitimate nuclear activities”.
In a separate KCNA statement, North Korea’s Foreign Ministry also dismissed the resolution, declaring that its status as a nuclear power is irreversible and backed by its nuclear deterrent.
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