A North Korean foreign ministry spokesperson said there will "absolutely and forever be no denuclearization" of the country on Thursday [1].
The statement marks a definitive rejection of diplomatic pressure from a coalition of major regional powers. By explicitly ruling out the removal of its nuclear arsenal, Pyongyang signals that it views its weapons program as a permanent fixture of its national security strategy.
The announcement came through the Korean Central News Agency [1]. It served as a direct response to a joint statement issued by the Quad, a strategic partnership consisting of the United States, Japan, Australia, and India, which urged North Korea to denuclearize [1].
Pyongyang dismissed the Quad's call, stating that the group is serving Washington’s strategy [1]. The spokesperson said the nuclear program is non-negotiable [1].
This diplomatic clash highlights the widening gap between the Quad's security objectives and North Korea's ambitions. The U.S. and its allies have long sought a denuclearized Korean Peninsula, but the current rhetoric suggests that Pyongyang considers such a goal obsolete or impossible under the current geopolitical climate.
While the Quad continues to coordinate on regional security, the North Korean response indicates that multilateral pressure is not currently influencing the regime's internal policy regarding its atomic capabilities [1].
“"there will absolutely and forever be no denuclearization"”
This declaration represents a shift from tactical negotiation to a strategic permanent state. By using the word 'forever,' North Korea is attempting to remove denuclearization from the diplomatic table entirely, signaling to the U.S. and the Quad that future negotiations must likely focus on arms control or coexistence rather than the total elimination of its nuclear program.
