North Korea declares nuclear status irreversible and tests 240mm rocket artillery

Rejection of denuclearization demands

North Korea declared on Thursday, 24 September 2026, that its status as a nuclear-armed power is permanent and dismissed international calls for denuclearization as an unrealistic illusion. Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui delivered the official position through a statement carried by the state-run Korean Central News Agency. Choe stated that external pressure from the United States and allied nations will not force Pyongyang to alter its strategic orientation. Instead, she affirmed that increased pressure from Washington and international partners will directly cause North Korea to harden its defensive posture. The government described any expectation that it would dismantle its atomic stockpile as a complete denial of reality.

I reaffirm and reconfirm with the greatest firmness the unwavering will of our State to keep its nuclear weapons forever.

Response to South Korean address at the United Nations

Choe issued the diplomatic rejoinder one day after South Korean President Lee Jae Myung delivered a speech before the United Nations General Assembly in New York. During his address on Wednesday, Lee called on the international community to demand an immediate halt to further advancements in North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities. The South Korean leader stated that the ultimate objective of international diplomacy must remain a Korean Peninsula completely free of nuclear weapons. At the same time, Lee expressed support for restarting direct negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang to reduce peninsula tensions. That proposal followed public remarks in August by United States President Donald Trump, who stated that he intended to arrange a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un before the conclusion of the year.

Testing modernized artillery systems

Alongside its diplomatic statements, the North Korean government announced on Thursday that it conducted live-fire tests of upgraded artillery hardware on 22 September. The military trials evaluated modernized 240-millimeter controlled multiple rocket launchers designed for guided surface strikes. According to official reports released through state media, the tested rocket systems demonstrated an operational flight range of 115 kilometers. The deployment and testing of these modernized rocket launchers form part of an ongoing buildup of conventional and tactical firepower. These tactical capabilities are stationed across the border from South Korea, where opposing armies have remained in a state of confrontation for over seven decades.

Constitutional status and decades of military standoff

North Korea and South Korea remain technically at war because the 1950–1953 Korean War ended with a military armistice agreement rather than a formal peace treaty. Pyongyang conducted its first underground nuclear explosive test in 2006, subsequently engineering and fielding a wide array of ballistic missiles. In 2023, North Korea formally codified its nuclear-armed status into its national constitution, making the retention and expansion of its atomic arsenal a permanent constitutional mandate. Choe emphasized that this constitutional status is irreversible under any circumstances and will remain unchanged for the future. She added that foreign attempts to challenge this reality will only solidify Pyongyang's anti-United States foreign policy and accelerate its defense trajectory.