North Korea Rejects International Calls to Halt Nuclear Tests

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of North Korea rejected an international call to halt nuclear tests, characterizing the demand as a provocation by hostile forces. This response followed a meeting in New York by the Friends of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty—including Australia, Canada, Finland, Germany, Japan, and the Netherlands—which labeled any new nuclear tests by Pyongyang as irresponsible and unacceptable.

Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui asserted that North Korea's status as a nuclear-armed state is irreversible. This declaration served as a direct counter to a separate meeting between the United States, South Korea, and Japan, where the three nations reaffirmed their shared commitment to the complete denuclearization of the peninsula.