The UN General Assembly's First Committee has adopted a nuclear disarmament resolution stating that North Korea cannot be recognized as a nuclear-armed state.
According to Voice of America (VOA), the resolution titled 'Joint Actions Towards a World Without Nuclear Weapons,' submitted by Japan, was adopted on October 27 at the UN headquarters in New York with 150 votes in favor, 7 against, and 25 abstentions.
The resolution's 14th paragraph asserts that North Korea's nuclear issue directly impacts the integrity of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). It also urges North Korea to promptly return to compliance with the NPT and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards.
Furthermore, it reaffirms the commitment to the complete, verifiable, and irreversible elimination of all of North Korea's nuclear weapons, existing nuclear programs, and all other weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs, in accordance with relevant Security Council resolutions. The 14th paragraph was included in the resolution after a separate vote, which resulted in 128 votes in favor, 5 against, and 22 abstentions. It confirmed that North Korea cannot be recognized as a nuclear-armed state as specified in the relevant Security Council resolutions.
In response, North Korea stated that the so-called denuclearization of North Korea is an agenda that has reached a final conclusion, both theoretically and practically, asserting that it is a responsible nuclear-armed state.
Meanwhile, this resolution is not the final resolution of the UN General Assembly. It is expected to be put to a vote in the General Assembly plenary session in early December, and if adopted, it will become an official UN General Assembly resolution. Although UN General Assembly resolutions do not have legal binding power, they are significant in demonstrating the international community's will.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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