North Korea condemns UN Chief’s call for denuclearisation

North Korea has condemned the call by United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for its complete denuclearisation.

Reports say North Korea’s reaction follows recent comments by the UN Chief on his support for the North’s complete denuclearisation when he met with South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol.

“I cannot but express deep regret over the said remarks of the UN secretary-general that grossly lack impartiality and fairness and go against the obligations of his duty, specified in the UN Charter, as regards the issue of the Korean peninsula,” Kim Son Gyong, Vice Minister for international organizations of North Korea’s foreign ministry said in a statement.

Also read: North Korea to Mobilise Nuclear Force

The Vice Minister added that the U.N. Secretary-General should remain loyal only to the UN and should not be influenced by the government of any country.

He said the call for a “complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation” (CVID) of North Korea is an infringement on the country and added that North Korea completely rejects any call for unilateral disarmament.

North Korea has test-fired a record number of missiles this year, and officials in Seoul and Washington say that it appears to be preparing to test a nuclear weapon for the first time since 2017 amid stalled denuclearisation talks.

Zainab Sa’id