North Korea

North Korea Rejects Non-Proliferation Treaty at UN Nuclear Summit

Is North Korea exercising its sovereign right to nuclear defense or assaulting the NPT's credibility?

Published MAY 7

North Korea Rejects Non-Proliferation Treaty at UN Nuclear Summit

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Above: Kim Song, North Korean delegate chair, speaks at the United Nations in New York, on Sept. 26, 2023. Image credit: Jeenah Moon/Bloomberg/Getty Images

The Spin

Pro-North Korea narrative

North Korea has every right to develop nuclear weapons as a sovereign state that legally withdrew from the NPT decades ago under Article 10. The U.S. and its allies are weaponizing the review conference to attack Pyongyang rather than address real disarmament failures. Countries offering so-called "extended deterrence" and transferring nuclear submarine tech to non-nuclear states are the actual threat to nonproliferation.

KCNA Iranpress

Anti-North Korea narrative

North Korea's nuclear buildup is an ongoing violation of multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions and a direct assault on the NPT's credibility. Satellite imagery confirms sanctions are being systematically violated, and fissile material production at Yongbyon keeps expanding. The only path forward is complete, verifiable denuclearization — North Korea cannot be recognized as a legitimate nuclear-weapon state under the treaty.

Permanent Mission of Japan to the United Nations UN News U.S. Mission to International Organizations in Geneva