Seoul, Jan 15, 2025, TRIPURATIMES Desk

Seoul, Jan 15 (IANS) North Korea cannot be recognised as a nuclear-armed state under the international nonproliferation treaty, and its denuclearisation is a principle shared by all parties involved, including South Korea and the US, Seoul's foreign ministry said Wednesday. The ministry made the comments after US Defence Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth described the North as a nuclear power in his written answers submitted to the US Senate for his confirmation hearing Tuesday (US time), Yonhap news agency reported. The former Fox News host said the North's "status as a nuclear power" and its focus on developing missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons pose a threat to stability on the Korean Peninsula and beyond. "North Korea's denuclearisation has been a principle consistently upheld by South Korea, the US and the international community," the ministry said. "Under the NPT (Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty), North Korea can never be recognised as a nuclear-armed state," it said. The ministry also cited the White House reaffirming its position on the North's denuclearisation. The NPT is an international agreement on preventing the spread of nuclear weapons. Only five countries are acknowledged as nuclear-armed states: the US, Britain, Russia, France and China. North Korea acceded to the NPT in 1985 but withdrew from it in 2003 after Washington accused the regime of pursuing a secret uranium enrichment program in violation of their bilateral agreement on freezing its nuclear programs. On Tuesday, National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby reiterated that the Biden administration remains unchanged on North Korea's denuclearisation policy. "I can't speak to what the incoming team will characterise it. We have not gone so far as to recognition," Kirby said in a press meeting.