The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea has told the United Nations General Assembly that its position as a nuclear-armed state cannot be reversed, rejecting external pressure over its military capabilities, UN News reported.

Addressing the General Assembly on Monday, the DPRK argued that maintaining those capabilities was necessary to defend the country’s sovereignty. It also presented its military strength as a means of preserving peace on the Korean Peninsula, according to the UN report.

The statement placed national sovereignty at the centre of Pyongyang’s position. By describing its nuclear status as irreversible, the DPRK signalled that it does not regard the matter as open to change under pressure from outside the country. The remarks linked its nuclear posture directly to what it described as the need to protect the state.

The DPRK also connected its military capabilities with stability on the Korean Peninsula. Its presentation to the General Assembly maintained that those capabilities serve not only as a safeguard for the country’s sovereignty but also as a mechanism for maintaining peace in the region.

The address used the General Assembly, the UN’s main deliberative forum, to restate Pyongyang’s position before the international community. The reported remarks focused on three closely related points: the permanence of the DPRK’s nuclear-armed status, the role of military capabilities in defending sovereignty, and the claim that those capabilities contribute to peace on the peninsula.

UN News did not provide further details in the supplied account about the nature of the outside pressure rejected by the DPRK, or identify additional proposals discussed in the speech. The report also did not include any response from other governments or UN officials. The central message was that Pyongyang views its nuclear and military posture as settled and necessary for both national defence and regional peace.

Reporting attribution: based on reporting by UN News — Global — original source: https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2026/09/1168476.