North Korea says it is not bound by any treaty on nuclear non-proliferation

Pyongyang says its status as nuclear-armed state ‘will not change based on external rhetorical claims’.North Korea’s envoy to the United Nations has declared that Pyongyang will not be bound by any treaty on atomic weapons and that no external pressure will change its status as a nuclear-armed state.Ambassador Kim Song’s statement – carried by state media on Thursday – came as the United States and other countries criticised North Korea’s nuclear programme at the ongoing UN conference reviewing the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4NPT summit: Can nuclear pact survive US-Israel war on Iran?list 2 of 4North Korean women’s club to play rare football match in the Southlist 3 of 4Strait of Hormuz blockade and other major naval sieges in modern timeslist 4 of 4New Zealand spy plane reports possible North Korea sanctions breach at seaend of listPyongyang withdrew from the NPT in 2003 and has since conducted six nuclear tests, promoting multiple UN-security-council" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="1865" data-entity-type="organization">UN Security Council sanctions.The country is believed to hold dozens of nuclear warheads.“At the 11th NPT Review Conference currently under way at UN headquarters, the United States and certain countries following its lead are groundlessly calling into question the current status and exercise of sovereign rights,” Kim said, according to the official Korean Central News Agency.“The status of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea as a nuclear-armed state will not change based on external rhetorical claims or unilateral desires,” he added.“To make it clear once again, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea will not be bound by the Non-Proliferation Treaty under any circumstances whatsoever.”He continued that the country’s status as a nuclear-armed state has been “enshrined in the constitution, transparently declaring the principles of nuclear weapons use”.North Korea has long insisted that it will not give up its nuclear arsenal, describing its path as “irreversible” and pledging to strengthen its capabilities.