Rejecting Denuclearisation, North Korea Vows to Boost Nuclear Capabilities!
The North Korean government has stated that the hostile policies of the United States remain unchanged, amidst the latest efforts by President Donald Trump to engage in diplomacy with the isolated nation’s leader, Kim Jong Un.
Pyongyang has vowed to continue strengthening its nuclear capabilities while rejecting repeated calls from Washington for the country to undergo denuclearisation.
In a statement released by the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), as reported by Reuters on Monday (31/8/2026), a spokesperson for the North Korean Foreign Ministry accused the US of maintaining a confrontational attitude through its commitment to the “complete denuclearisation” of North Korea.
The spokesperson also condemned Washington’s criticism of Pyongyang’s human rights record and plans for joint military exercises with South Korea and Japan.
“In this way, the Trump administration has reaffirmed its unchanged hostile policy, which arbitrarily violates the sovereignty, political system, and security interests of the DPRK,” said the unnamed spokesperson for the North Korean Foreign Ministry.
DPRK is the abbreviation for the official name of North Korea, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
The spokesperson stated that North Korea’s nuclear weapons serve as an “absolute guarantee for the maintenance of sovereignty.” He emphasised that North Korea’s nuclear status would not be weakened by the continuous denuclearisation demands issued by the US.
Furthermore, the North Korean Foreign Ministry spokesperson asserted that any hope for a reduction in regional tensions is “futile.”
Additionally, the spokesperson added that there has been no “change” in North Korea’s policy towards the US.
North Korea’s statement follows Trump’s order this month for a massive reduction in the scale of the Ulchi Freedom Shield, an annual joint military exercise between the US and South Korea.
Trump cited the “very good relationship” between himself and Kim Jong Un as one of the reasons for this order. He also noted that the annual exercises are costly and send unnecessary signals of hostility to Pyongyang.
Trump is currently seeking a new summit with Kim Jong Un. The two leaders met three times in 2018 and 2019 during Trump’s first term.
Previously, North Korea gave a flat response to the cuts in the US-South Korea joint exercises. Kim Yo Jong, the sister of Kim Jong Un, described the joint exercises as remaining provocative and aggressive, despite the reduction in scale and duration.
Separately, the US is set to conduct further exercises with South Korea and Japan from 7-11 September. North Korea has repeatedly condemned such exercises as a threat to regional security.