Russian envoy says N. Korea′s possession of nuclear arms is ′open secret,′ ′reality′

▲ Russia's Ambassador to the U.N. Vassily Nebenzia addresses a press conference at U.N. headquarters in New York on Oct. 1, 2025. (Yonhap)

Russia-NK nukes

Russian envoy says N. Korea's possession of nuclear arms is 'open secret,' 'reality'

By Song Sang-ho

WASHINGTON, Oct. 1 (Yonhap) -- Russia's top envoy to the U.N. said Wednesday that North Korea's possession of nuclear weapons is an "open secret" and a "reality," although Seoul, Washington and Tokyo have underscored their commitment to the denuclearization of the North.

Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia made the remarks during a press conference as Russia has undertaken the rotating monthlong presidency of the U.N. Security Council this month.

"We don't have to recognize it because it's an open secret," he said, responding to a question about whether Moscow recognizes a nuclear-armed North Korea. "I mean they are not hiding that."

The ambassador cited a recent U.N. speech by North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Kim Son-gyong that reiterated that Pyongyang will never give up its nuclear program "under any circumstances."

"What the DPRK deputy foreign minister said was that it is a reality we live in, and that (it) is already in the (North's) constitution," he said. DPRK is short for North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

"You may like or not like it, but this is the reality -- the reality justified by the threats that the DPRK experiences."

As for the "threats" facing the North, Nebenzia pointed to what he called "provocative" military activities by the "troika" -- South Korea, the United States and Japan.

During a U.N. General Assembly meeting on Monday, the North's vice foreign minister underscored Pyongyang's adherence to its nuclear program.

The North's diplomat emphasized that Pyongyang has stipulated its nuclear arsenal in its law as a "sacred" and "absolute" asset that can "never be tampered with."

He also argued that the imposition of denuclearization on the North is tantamount to demanding Pyongyang surrender its "sovereignty and right to existence" and violates its constitution.

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