North Korea denuclearization: ‘Never going to happen’: North Korea rejects Quad calls for denuclearization

North Korea on Thursday strongly condemned a joint statement by Quad countries calling for Pyongyang’s “complete denuclearization” and declared it would “never” give up its nuclear weapons programme.A few days ago, the foreign ministers of India, the United States, Japan and Australia reiterated their commitment to North Korea’s denuclearization at a meeting in New Delhi.In a statement carried by South Korea’s Yonhap news agency, North Korea’s foreign ministry accused the Quad of interfering in its sovereign affairs and being “nothing more than a political and diplomatic tool serving the realization of U.S. unipolar dominance.”“To be clear again, North Korea’s ‘denuclearization’ will never happen forever,” a foreign ministry spokesman said, using the abbreviation for North Korea’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.Pyongyang also refused to accept the so-called “hostile stance” of the “U.S.-led” Quad and urged the group to stop “pursuing confrontation that undermines regional peace and stability.”

Quartet condemns Pyongyang’s actions missile program

India’s reaction came after it issued a joint statement from the Quad foreign ministers’ meeting after hosting talks in New Delhi on May 26.“We reaffirm our commitment to achieve the complete denuclearization of North Korea in accordance with relevant UN Security Council resolutions and urge North Korea to comply with all obligations under relevant UN Security Council resolutions,” the four countries said in a statement.The group also condemned North Korea’s “illegal development of ballistic missiles and weapons of mass destruction” and expressed “serious concern” about Pyongyang’s cyber activities that allegedly fund its weapons programs.The Quad further urged all UN member states to impose sanctions on North Korea, including restrictions on arms transfers and purchases.The statement also expressed concern about countries “deepening military cooperation with North Korea,” saying such moves undermine the global non-proliferation regime.South Korea’s Unification Ministry viewed North Korea’s latest criticism as relatively mild compared with previous years.A defense ministry official said Pyongyang has long viewed the Quad as a possible model for an “Asian version” of NATO and has repeatedly criticized the organization.The official noted that unlike last year when North Korea mainly targeted the United States, this year’s response defended China’s position while also criticizing Japan and Australia.