#International_Tech_News | #Big_Tech

#North_Korea declares itself a #NUCLEAR_WEAPONS_STATE

North Korea has passed a law declaring itself to be a nuclear weapons state, according to state news agency KCNA.

The country's leader #Kim_Jong_un called the decision "#irreversible" and ruled out the possibility of any talks on #denuclearisation, it said.

The law also enshrines the country's right to use a #pre_emptive nuclear #strike to #protect itself.

Despite #crippling_sanctions, #Pyongyang has conducted six nuclear tests between 2006 and 2017.

It has continued to advance its #military capability - in #breach of #United_Nations Security Council resolutions - to threaten its neighbors and potentially even bring the #US mainland within #striking_range.

Mr Kim carried out #long_range launches and nuclear tests in 2019 following two headline-grabbing but inconclusive summits with then US president Donald Trump.

What we know about N Korea's missile and nuclear programme
Wargaming a North Korean attack
But talks between the countries have since stalled. Although the Biden administration has indicated it's willing to talk to Pyongyang, it hasn't said whether President Joe Biden would meet Mr Kim.

The #White_House also said its attempts to contact Pyongyang and overtures of help over its #Covid outbreak had gone #unanswered so far.

The US reviewed its North Korea policy last year and reiterated that "complete denuclearisation" of the Korean peninsula was the goal. Mr Biden said he would pursue it with a mix of diplomacy and "stern deterrence". Mr Kim responded by saying his country must prepare for both "dialogue and confrontation".

Meanwhile, tensions on the Korean peninsula have spiked this year with Pyongyang firing a record number of ballistic missiles.

South Korea and the US have responded with a volley of missiles and the largest joint military exercises on the peninsula in years.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-62845958

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