In a commentary published by the North Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on February 8, North Korea stressed that its nuclear forces are not for negotiation but for use in combat, affirming that Pyongyang is not interested in returning to denutionalization negotiations with the US.
"Our nuclear power is not something that can be advertised for recognition by anyone and is not even a card that can be exchanged for a small sum of money," the KCNA said.
"Our country's nuclear forces have always been used for real combat purposes to quickly stop any aggressive efforts by hostile forces that violate the sovereignty and safety of the people, while threatening regional peace," the KCNA noted.
North Korea's statement came after the White House said Washington would seek to "completely denctionalize North Korea" under US President Donald Trump, dismissing speculation that Trump could seek arms cuts rather than the long-term policy goal of denctionalization.
In response to officials from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization ( NATO) and the European Union (EU) reiterating that they will not accept North Korea as a nuclear power, Pyongyang condemned these statements as "unreasonable".
President Donald Trump's return to the White House has fueled speculation that he will seek to restore North Korea's nuclear weapons diplomacy with leader Kim Jong-un during his second term.
President Donald Trump has held three direct meetings with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, including the first US- DPRK summit in Singapore in 2018. But the 2019 Hanoi summit ended without a deal due to differences in North Korea's denutionalization steps in exchange for sanctions easing.
The US president expressed his intention to re- cooperate with the North Korean leader in an interview with Fox News last month, calling Kim Jong-un "a smart person".
Despite Trump's offer, North Korea revealed Kim Jong-un's visit to a uranium enrichment facility, while emphasizing the country's need to strengthen its "nuclear shield" against hostile countries.
On his first day in office on January 20, President Trump called North Korea a "nuclear power" - a term that US officials rarely used because they were concerned that this could be viewed as Washington's recognition of Pyongyang's nuclear weapons.
But the White House affirmed last month that the US will pursue "comprehensive denuclearization of North Korea" when asked whether President Trump's calling of North Korea a nuclear power signals any policy changes.
