Seoul, March 24 -- North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has declared that his country's nuclear status is "irreversible" and vowed to permanently strengthen its arsenal, while warning South Korea of a "merciless" response to any provocation, according to state media KCNA.
Addressing the Supreme People's Assembly on Monday, Kim underscored that Pyongyang would continue expanding its "self-defensive nuclear deterrent," rejecting any possibility of trading disarmament for economic or security concessions.
"The current world reality, where the dignity and rights of sovereign states are mercilessly violated by unilateral force and violence, clearly teaches what the true guarantee of a state's existence and peace is," Kim said, according to state me...