{"id":7128,"date":"2026-03-24T10:22:12","date_gmt":"2026-03-24T14:22:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/eastasiaandoceaniablog\/?p=7128"},"modified":"2026-03-24T10:22:12","modified_gmt":"2026-03-24T14:22:12","slug":"kim-jong-un-says-north-koreas-nuclear-status-is-irreversible-threatens-south","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/eastasiaandoceaniablog\/2026\/03\/24\/kim-jong-un-says-north-koreas-nuclear-status-is-irreversible-threatens-south\/","title":{"rendered":"Kim Jong Un says North Korea\u2019s nuclear status is irreversible, threatens South"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/asia-pacific\/north-koreas-kim-pushes-new-five-year-economic-plan-nuclear-deterrent-parliament-2026-03-23<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kim Jong Un, the leader of North Korea, said that the country would permanently strengthen its nuclear arsenal because it is necessary for national security, economic growth, and stability in the region. He told the Supreme People’s Assembly that the country’s nuclear status was “irreversible” and that there was no way to trade disarmament for economic aid or security guarantees. Kim said that examples of foreign intervention and instability around the world show that nuclear weapons are the only reliable way to protect sovereignty. He also labeled South Korea as the \u201cmost hostile state,\u201d warning that any violation of North Korea\u2019s sovereignty would be met with overwhelming force. This shows a big change from past policies that supported peaceful reunification. Instead, it changes how people see each other, making them seem openly hostile. In addition to military priorities, Kim also announced a five-year economic plan focused on modernizing industry, energy, farming, and housing. The government approved a 2026 budget that set aside almost 16% of spending for defense, including nuclear development. The meeting also focused on strengthening ties with Russia, which could lead to more strategic cooperation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kim Jong Un’s words make things much worse in East Asia. North Korea makes it less likely that there will be future talks about denuclearization by making nuclear expansion permanent. This makes a long arms race more likely. South Korea and its regional allies, such as Japan, may respond by strengthening their own militaries or working more closely with the US on security issues. Adding South Korea to the enemy list also increases the likelihood of a mistake or a military conflict on the Korean Peninsula. This change goes against decades of diplomatic efforts aimed at fostering cooperation and stability. Also, if North Korea and Russia get closer, it could change the balance of power in the region, especially since tensions are rising around the world. Kim’s overall policy direction points to a region that is more divided and militarized, where deterrence takes the place of dialogue and the chance of conflict, whether on purpose or by accident, is much higher.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/asia-pacific\/north-koreas-kim-pushes-new-five-year-economic-plan-nuclear-deterrent-parliament-2026-03-23 Kim Jong Un, the leader of North Korea, said that the country would permanently strengthen its nuclear arsenal because it is necessary for national security, economic growth, and stability in the region. He told the Supreme People’s Assembly that the country’s nuclear status was “irreversible” and that there was no way to trade disarmament for economic aid or security… Read more »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":330,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7128","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-analysis"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/eastasiaandoceaniablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7128","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/eastasiaandoceaniablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/eastasiaandoceaniablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/eastasiaandoceaniablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/330"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/eastasiaandoceaniablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7128"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/eastasiaandoceaniablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7128\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7136,"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/eastasiaandoceaniablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7128\/revisions\/7136"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/eastasiaandoceaniablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7128"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/eastasiaandoceaniablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7128"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/eastasiaandoceaniablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7128"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}