Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui: DPRK Will Keep Nuclear Weapons 'Through All Ages,' Calls Status 'Irreversible'

North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui said in a KCNA statement reported September 24, 2026 that North Korea's commitment to its nuclear arsenal is permanent, declaring: 'I reaffirm and reconfirm in the strongest tone of voice the steadfast will of our state to keep nuclear weapons through all ages, which is irreversible in any case and will remain unchanged forever,' adding 'there is no change in the fact that the DPRK's position as a nuclear weapons state will be everlasting.' The statement responded to the United States, South Korea and Japan reaffirming their shared commitment to the 'complete' denuclearization of North Korea and calling on Pyongyang to return to dialogue at trilateral talks in New York on September 21, and came in the same week as South Korean President Lee Jae-myung's UN General Assembly address renewing calls for a denuclearized peninsula and resumed dialogue. Choe's statement followed the DPRK's September 22 test of an upgraded 240mm guided rocket launcher system, underscoring Pyongyang's rejection of the denuclearization push even as Seoul signals openness to talks.