North Korea has declared that it is not bound under any circumstances by the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), with its permanent representative to the United Nations, Kim Song, calling any attempt to force Pyongyang to fulfil treaty obligations a "wanton violation" of international law. The statement, dated 6 May and carried by the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), was released on Thursday as the 11th Review Conference of the NPT was under way at UN headquarters.

North Korea's Position on the NPT

Kim Song, Pyongyang's permanent representative to the UN, argued that the country's nuclear programme reflects its "obligations under the law on nuclear forces policy and the constitution, which enshrined the country's legal status as a nuclear-armed state." He further declared: "The position of the DPRK as a nuclear weapons state does not change in accordance with rhetorical assertion or unilateral desire of outsiders."

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) — North Korea's official name — announced its withdrawal from the NPT in 1993 and formally completed that withdrawal in 2003, according to Yonhap news agency. Despite this, the country's latest statement marks a notable shift in how it frames its nuclear legitimacy, now anchoring it explicitly within its revised constitution.

Constitutional Codification of Nuclear Authority

North Korea's revised constitution, amended in March, stipulated for the first time that the president of the state affairs commission holds the right to command the country's nuclear forces — effectively codifying leader Kim Jong-un's authority to order the use of nuclear weapons. South Korea's unification ministry noted this as a marked shift in framing.

"This time, it underscores its status as a nuclear-armed state based on its constitution and laws," a ministry official told reporters, adding that while Pyongyang's stance on the NPT had "largely remained unchanged," the constitutional anchoring represented a new layer of legal legitimacy that Pyongyang was seeking to project internationally.

Accusations Against the United States

Kim Song also levelled accusations against Washington, charging the US with "neglecting" its own nuclear disarmament commitments. He specifically cited Washington's provision of "extended deterrence" and the transfer of nuclear submarine technology to non-nuclear states as evidence of what he described as double standards in the enforcement of NPT obligations.

"I denounce and reject in the strongest tone the brigandish and shameless acts of the specific countries, including the US, which are taking issue with the DPRK's realistic and just access to nuclear weapons through the legal route and exercise of its inherent defensive rights as a sovereign state," he said.

Broader Geopolitical Context

The statement arrived amid expectations that North Korea could feature prominently on the agenda at a planned summit between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing next week. The timing of Pyongyang's declaration — coinciding with the NPT Review Conference, which convenes signatory states every five years to evaluate adherence to the treaty adopted in 1968 — appears deliberately calibrated to assert its nuclear status on a global stage.

This is not the first time North Korea has used multilateral disarmament forums to reinforce its position as a self-declared nuclear power. However, the explicit grounding of that claim in a revised constitution marks a qualitative shift in how Pyongyang seeks to institutionalise and legitimise its arsenal ahead of any potential diplomatic engagement with Washington.