At the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Monday, September 29, 2025, North Korea’s Vice Foreign Minister Kim Son Gyong made a rare and forceful appearance, declaring that his country would never abandon its nuclear weapons program. This marked the first time since 2018 that a senior North Korean official had addressed the annual gathering of world leaders, underscoring the gravity of Pyongyang’s message to the international community.
Kim’s speech, which lasted 16 minutes, was a blend of stern resolve and diplomatic nuance. He reiterated North Korea’s longstanding position that its nuclear arsenal is not merely a military asset but a fundamental pillar of its sovereignty and right to exist. As reported by Reuters, Kim stated, “Imposition of ‘denuclearisation’ on the DPRK is tantamount to demanding it to surrender sovereignty and right to existence and violate the Constitution.” He emphasized, “We will never give up sovereignty, abandon the right to existence and violate the Constitution.”
The vice foreign minister’s remarks came at a time of heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula, with Kim pointing to the increased scale and frequency of U.S.-led military exercises with South Korea and Japan. According to Newsweek, Kim accused the United States and its allies of mounting a “growing threat of aggression,” arguing that only through North Korea’s “enhanced physical war deterrent” can the balance of power be maintained in the region. “We will never give up nuclear, which is our state law, national policy and sovereign power as well as the right to existence. Under any circumstances, we will never walk away from this position,” Kim told the General Assembly.
Kim’s address was notably more measured than some of North Korea’s previous fiery rhetoric. He avoided direct personal attacks on U.S. President Donald Trump or other world leaders, instead focusing on broader criticisms of “hegemonic forces” and the “indiscriminate tariff war” that, in his view, undermine the sovereignty and development rights of nations like North Korea. He also called for reforms to the U.N. Security Council, arguing that the current Western-led structure fails to adequately represent the interests of developing countries.
Despite the more tempered tone, Kim did not shy away from criticizing ongoing U.S.-South Korea-Japan military exercises, which he claimed “are breaking all the previous records in terms of scale, nature, frequency and scope.” North Korea routinely characterizes such war games as preludes to an attack, while South Korea and its allies insist they are necessary to counter the North’s growing nuclear and missile threats. South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, addressing the U.N. just a week earlier, said his government would “begin a new journey toward peaceful coexistence and shared growth on the Korean Peninsula,” emphasizing the need to restore trust and mutual respect. However, Kim did not directly respond to this overture in his speech.
North Korea’s nuclear program, enshrined in its constitution, remains at the heart of the standoff. The country has been under U.N. Security Council sanctions since 2006, with measures steadily strengthened in an effort to halt its nuclear and ballistic missile development. Yet, as StratNews Global and Newsweek both note, Pyongyang has shown no sign of yielding to international pressure. Kim Son Gyong insisted that abandoning the nuclear arsenal would be “tantamount to demanding we surrender our sovereignty.”
The international community remains deeply divided over how to address the North Korean challenge. The United States and its allies continue to demand denuclearization, while Russia and China have recently advocated for easing U.N. sanctions on humanitarian grounds and as a means to encourage Pyongyang back to the negotiating table. Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Moscow has forged closer diplomatic and military ties with North Korea, including reciprocal visits between President Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un. North Korea has reportedly supplied combat troops and ammunition to support Russia’s war effort, further complicating the geopolitical landscape.
Amid these developments, there are signs of renewed interest in diplomacy. U.S. President Donald Trump, who returned to office in January 2025, expressed last month his desire to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un later this year. Trump and Kim met three times between 2018 and 2019, but their talks ultimately collapsed over the issue of U.S.-led sanctions and Pyongyang’s unwillingness to give up its nuclear weapons. Since then, North Korea has largely shunned direct diplomacy with the United States and South Korea.
However, last week, Kim Jong Un himself indicated there was no reason to avoid talks with the U.S. if Washington would drop its insistence on denuclearization as a precondition. State media quoted Kim as saying, “We will never give up nuclear, which is our state law, national policy and sovereign power as well as the right to existence. Under any circumstances, we will never walk away from this position.” He added that North Korea would not abandon its nuclear arsenal merely to end sanctions.
The stakes are high. According to the Federation of American Scientists, North Korea is believed to possess roughly 50 nuclear warheads, and South Korean President Lee Jae-myung recently warned that Pyongyang produces enough nuclear material to build 15 to 20 new warheads each year. Lee also cautioned that North Korea is nearing completion of an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of reaching the United States.
In his U.N. address, Kim Son Gyong also praised the organization’s efforts in fighting poverty and disease but cautioned against complacency. “The U.N. should not feel relieved, nor congratulate ourselves, on the non-occurrence of World War III for the past 80 years. Instead, we should pay due attention to the fact that the inducible threat has persisted and is now becoming more serious, and take measures accordingly,” he warned, according to AFP.
As the world watches, the possibility of a Trump-Kim summit hangs in the balance. Trump is set to visit South Korea next month for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, fueling speculation about a potential meeting with Kim Jong Un. South Korean officials have reportedly encouraged Trump to act as a “peacemaker” and use his leadership to reduce military tensions on the peninsula. Trump, for his part, has expressed his willingness to re-engage, saying after a recent White House summit with President Lee Jae-myung that he and Kim share a “great relationship.”
Yet, with North Korea’s nuclear program now deeply embedded in its constitution and national identity, and with the country’s leadership viewing the arsenal as essential to its survival, the path to denuclearization appears more fraught than ever. The coming months will test the willingness of all parties to find common ground—or risk further escalation in one of the world’s most volatile regions.
Kim Son Gyong’s speech at the United Nations served as both a warning and an invitation: North Korea will not yield to pressure, but it remains attuned to the shifting dynamics of global diplomacy. Whether this moment leads to renewed dialogue or deepens the standoff remains to be seen, but for now, Pyongyang’s message could not be clearer.