▲ Representatives from South Korea and the U.S. sign the "ROK-U.S. NCG Security Guidelines" during the 6th Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG) meeting held at the Ministry of National Defense in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, on June 11.
North Korea has pushed back against the mention of "denuclearization" at the recently held South Korea-U.S. Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG) meeting and the U.S.-Japan Extended Deterrence Dialogue (EDD), asserting that the issue of denuclearization is a closed matter.
A spokesperson for the North Korean Foreign Ministry issued a statement labeling the NCG and the EDD as "nuclear war plotting sessions" by the "U.S. and its follower nations," criticizing the re-emergence of "nuclear threat rhetoric" and "calls for denuclearization."
The spokesperson stated, "It is absurd and a hollow delusion to talk about the disarmament of a belligerent party," emphasizing that "denuclearization is a final and irreversible, closed matter."
The statement continued, "No matter how much the three countries—the U.S., Japan, and South Korea—insist, they will never be able to change the current status of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea as a nuclear-armed state," adding, "No one will be able to retrieve 'denuclearization,' which has permanently disappeared in the flow of the times."
The spokesperson also claimed that "building a nuclear shield" is a "lawful process" to "deter interference and threats from the outside and guarantee the sovereignty and security of the state."
On June 11, South Korean and U.S. military authorities held the 6th NCG meeting in Seoul and stated in a joint declaration that they "reaffirmed their shared goal of the denuclearization of North Korea."
This differs from the 5th meeting held in Washington, D.C., last December, where the joint statement did not include any mention of denuclearization or North Korea.
The reappearance of North Korean denuclearization in the South Korea-U.S. consultative body comes amid interpretations that China may be tacitly condoning North Korea's nuclear program, following the China-North Korea summit on June 8 where the Chinese side remained silent on the issue of denuclearization.
In a statement released after the U.S.-Japan Extended Deterrence Dialogue held in Tokyo from June 8 to 9, the U.S. and Japan specified, "Both delegations discussed the rapid and opaque expansion of China's nuclear arsenal and rejected Russia's claim that North Korea’s pursuit of nuclear weapons is a closed matter."
They further emphasized, "(Both sides) reaffirmed their commitment to the complete denuclearization of North Korea."
While "the complete denuclearization of North Korea" was also included in a statement in February, it has drawn renewed attention in light of President Xi's visit to North Korea.
(Photo: Provided by the Ministry of National Defense, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.