Seoul / Vienna, September 19, 2026 – North Korea has firmly rejected a resolution adopted by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that criticised its nuclear weapons programme and reaffirmed that Pyongyang cannot hold nuclear-weapons-state status under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
In statements carried by the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Saturday, both Kim Yo Jong — the powerful sister of leader Kim Jong Un — and the North Korean Foreign Ministry dismissed the resolution as meaningless and declared the country’s nuclear status irreversible.
The IAEA Resolution
The resolution was adopted on Thursday at the IAEA’s 70th General Conference in Vienna. It passed with 103 votes in favour, six against (including China and Russia), and 14 abstentions.
The document:
Reaffirmed that North Korea cannot have the status of a nuclear-weapons state under the NPT.
Called on Pyongyang to immediately cease all nuclear-related activities.
Expressed serious concern over ongoing operations at the Yongbyon nuclear complex (including the 5-megawatt reactor and light-water reactor), expanded uranium production activities, and the maintained readiness of the Punggye-ri nuclear test site.
Noted the continued expansion of North Korea’s capacity to produce weapons-grade nuclear material.
The IAEA has not had inspectors on the ground in North Korea since 2009 and relies on satellite imagery and open-source information for its assessments.
North Korea’s Response
Kim Yo Jong described the resolution as “meaningless and inefficient” and said it would have “no effect” on North Korea’s position as a nuclear-armed state. She accused the IAEA of “biased viewpoint and double standards,” claiming the agency ignored what she called nuclear threats and proliferation activities by the United States, its extended deterrence arrangements with South Korea and Japan, and South Korea’s plans related to nuclear-powered submarines.
She insisted North Korea’s nuclear activities are “self-defensive and legitimate.”
A separate statement from the Foreign Ministry went further, declaring that North Korea’s status as a nuclear power is “irreversible” and permanently fixed by national law. It is backed by the country’s nuclear deterrent and “does not need the recognition of the US, the West and the IAEA.” The ministry called the resolution something “cooked up by hostile forces.”