North Korea Reaffirms It Is Not Bound by NPT, Citing US Non-Compliance

North Korea is not bound under any circumstances by the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, its UN envoy declared on May 6, 2026. Kim Song's statement, carried by the official Korean Central News Agency on May 7, came as the 11th Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons convened at UN headquarters in New York.

"To make it clear once again, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea will not be bound by the Non-Proliferation Treaty under any circumstances whatsoever," Kim Song said according to KCNA.

He denounced and rejected in the strongest terms the actions of the United States and certain other countries for questioning North Korea's nuclear weapons status. "The status of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea as a nuclear-armed state will not change based on external rhetorical claims or unilateral desires," Kim added.

Any attempt to force Pyongyang to fulfill NPT obligations is a wanton violation of international law, he stated.

Kim Song said North Korea's nuclear program reflects its obligations under the law on nuclear forces policy and the constitution. The country's status as a nuclear-armed state has been enshrined in its constitution. North Korea's revised constitution in March 2026 stipulated that the president of the state affairs commission has the right to command the country's nuclear forces, codifying leader Kim Jong-un's authority to command the use of nuclear weapons for the first time.

South Korea's unification ministry stated that while Pyongyang's stance on the NPT has largely remained unchanged, there is a marked shift in how North Korea frames its nuclear program by anchoring its legitimacy within the newly revised constitution.

"This time, it underscores its status as a nuclear-armed state based on its constitution and laws," a ministry official told reporters. The NPT was adopted in 1968 and went into force in 1970.

Signatory states convene a review conference every five years. The treaty is signed by almost all countries except North Korea, Israel, India and Pakistan. North Korea announced its withdrawal from the NPT in 1993 and formally withdrew in 2003.

It has conducted six nuclear tests since 2003 and is believed to possess dozens of nuclear warheads. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in his opening remarks at the NPT review session that the spirit of the treaty has been eroding, commitments remain unfulfilled, trust and credibility are wearing thin, and the drivers of proliferation are accelerating.

The nine nuclear-armed states possessed 12,241 nuclear warheads in January 2025.

They are Russia, the United States, France, the United Kingdom, China, India, Pakistan, Israel and North Korea. The US and Russia hold nearly 90 percent of nuclear weapons globally. Kim Song accused Washington of neglecting its nuclear disarmament commitments by providing other countries with advanced military technology including extended deterrence and transfer of nuclear submarine technology to non-nuclear states.

North Korea has sent ground troops and artillery shells to support Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Observers say Pyongyang is receiving military technology assistance from Moscow in return. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited the country's nuclear material production base and nuclear weapons institute in January 2025.