The move comes as observers say North Korea appears poised to resume nuclear tests for the first time since 2017, after historic summits with then-US President Donald Trump and other world leaders in 2018 failed to convince Kim to abandon its weapons development. The North’s parliament, the Supreme People’s Assembly, passed the legislation on Thursday to replace the 2013 law that first outlined the country’s nuclear regime, state news agency KCNA reported on Friday. “The utmost importance of the legislative policy on nuclear weapons is to draw an irreparable line so that there is no negotiation on our nuclear weapons,” Kim said in a speech to the assembly, adding that he would never hand over the weapons, even even if the country faces 100 years of sanctions. A lawmaker in the assembly said the law would serve as a strong legal guarantee to consolidate North Korea’s status as a nuclear weapons state and ensure the “transparent, consistent and formal nature” of its nuclear policy, KCNA reported. The 2013 law stipulated that North Korea could use nuclear weapons to repel an invasion or attack by a hostile nuclear state and to retaliate. The new law goes beyond that to allow preemptive nuclear strikes if an imminent attack with weapons of mass destruction is detected or against the country’s “strategic targets,” including its leadership. This is an obvious reference to South Korea’s “kill chain” strategy, which calls for a pre-emptive strike on North Korea’s nuclear infrastructure and command system if an imminent attack is suspected. Kim cited the assassination chain, which is part of a three-pronged military strategy being stepped up under South Korea’s new president, Yun Suk-yeol, as a sign that the situation is worsening and that Pyongyang must prepare for longer-term tensions. “In short, there are some really vague and ambiguous circumstances under which North Korea now says it can use its nuclear weapons,” Chad O’Carroll, founder of the North Korea-watching website NK News, said on Twitter. “I imagine the intent is to give U.S. and South Korean military planners pause to think about a much broader range of actions than before.” The law also prohibits any sharing of nuclear weapons or technology with other countries and aims to reduce the risk of nuclear war by preventing miscalculation among nuclear weapon states and misuse of nuclear weapons, KCNA said. Analysts say Kim’s goal is to win international acceptance of North Korea’s status as a “responsible nuclear state.” Joe Biden’s administration has offered to talk to Kim anytime, anywhere, and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol has said his country will provide huge amounts of financial aid if Pyongyang starts giving up its arsenal. . South Korea offered on Thursday to hold talks with North Korea over the reunification of families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War, in its first direct offer under Yun, despite strained cross-border relations. But North Korea has rejected those initiatives, saying the US and its allies maintain “hostile policies” such as sanctions and military exercises that undermine their messages of peace. Kim’s comments underscored rising regional tensions as he accelerates the expansion of his nuclear weapons and missile program. It has issued increasingly provocative threats of nuclear conflict to the US and its allies in Asia in recent months, also warning that the North would preemptively use its nuclear weapons when threatened. Kim has conducted weapons tests at a record pace this year, launching more than 30 ballistic weapons, including the first demonstrations of his intercontinental ballistic missiles since 2017.
