PYONGYANG, North Korea: North Korea has strongly criticized the United Nations atomic watchdog, accusing it of aligning with a US-led pressure campaign and fabricating a resolution regarding North Korea’s nuclear programmes.
An unnamed spokesman from Pyongyang’s Ministry of Nuclear Power Industry released a statement condemning a resolution passed during the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) general conference, which called for North Korea to curb its nuclear activities.
The spokesman denounced the resolution as a product of a conspiracy orchestrated by the United States and its allies. North Korea asserted that its status as a nuclear weapons state is now irreversible.
According to state media KCNA, the spokesman referred to these actions as a revelation of hostile forces’ sinister intentions to undermine the international nuclear non-proliferation system and legitimize their antagonistic policies toward North Korea.
Furthermore, the spokesperson accused IAEA chief Rafael Grossi of leading efforts to pressure North Korea by spreading false information about an imminent nuclear test. Grossi had previously cautioned that North Korea might resume nuclear testing, ending a hiatus that had lasted since 2017.
The statement warned the IAEA that it should focus on addressing global challenges rather than serving as a “paid trumpeter” for the United States. It also mentioned concerns related to US nuclear proliferation and Japan’s discharge of wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear plant.
It’s important to note that the IAEA has had no access to North Korea since the country expelled its inspectors in 2009 and resumed nuclear testing.
