N. Korea leader says will use nukes if sovereignty ‘encroached’

As a ‘responsible nuclear weapons state,’ Pyongyang would only strike if attacked by a nuclear power, Kim Jong Un tells party congress

By AFP 8 May 2016, 2:19 am

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Illustrative photo of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang, February 7, 2016. (AFP Photo/North Korean TV via YONHAP)

SEOUL, South Korea – North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un told a ruling party congress that the country would only use its nuclear weapons if its sovereignty came under threat from another nuclear power, state media said Sunday.

“As a responsible nuclear weapons state, our republic will not use a nuclear weapon unless its sovereignty is encroached upon by any aggressive hostile forces with nukes,” Kim was quoted as telling the party gathering in Pyongyang on Saturday.

He also promised that Pyongyang would “faithfully fulfill” its non-proliferation obligations and push for global denuclearization.

North Korea withdrew from the global Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) in 2003 — the first signatory country to do so.

At the time of its first nuclear test in 2006, North Korea had said it would “never use nuclear weapons first,” but has since made repeated threats of preemptive nuclear strikes against South Korea and the United States.