During a speech outlining policy priorities at the country's Supreme People's Assembly in Pyongyang the previous day, its leader Kim Jong-un said the country's nuclear status is irreversible and warned that any attempt by what he called "hostile forces" to infringe on its sovereignty would be met "with merciless consequence," according to the state-run [North] Korean Central News Agency.
Kim accused the U.S. and its allies of acts of terrorism and aggression around the world, which appears to refer to the ouster of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in January and the ongoing war in Iran, though he did not directly criticize U.S. President Donald Trump.
He added that whether adversaries choose confrontation or peaceful coexistence is "their choice," and that North Korea is ready to respond to either option.
Meanwhile, it remains uncertain whether the North has amended its constitution to define the South as an officially "hostile" state, as Kim Jong-un declared in late 2023, when he said he no longer considered the South a partner for reconciliation and officially abandoned the long-standing goal of reunification between the two Koreas.
Lim Eul-chul, a professor at Kyungnam University, said North Korea did not disclose specific details even if it revised the constitution, adding that the move is meant to "keep its strategic ambiguity" and maintain flexibility to change its stance or approaches if necessary.
Lim added, "Kim's latest comments reflect that North Korea would never give up its nuclear weapons, even if the U.S. offers 'economic support' or 'security guarantees.'"
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