South Korea Urges Immediate Global Action to Address North Korea's Nuclear Program

ILLUSTRATION UNSPLASH/IRa Kang

JAKARTA - South Korea has called on the international community to take swift action to address North Korea's nuclear program, describing it as the most urgent threat to the global nonproliferation system.

According to the Yonhap News Agency on Tuesday, April 28, Deputy Foreign Minister Jeong Yeon-doo made the statement during a conference on the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) in New York, stressing that Pyongyang remains a unique challenge after withdrawing from the agreement and continuing its nuclear weapons development.

"North Korea is the only case that has benefited from the NPT regime, announced its withdrawal, and openly continued to develop nuclear weapons, thus remaining the most urgent challenge for the nonproliferation regime," said Jeong.

He urged the international community to send a unified message that the security and economic future of North Korea depended on the return of the countries to the framework of the agreement.

Jeong also called on Russia to cease military cooperation with Pyongyang, warning the relationship undermined UN Security Council resolutions and the wider nonproliferation regime.

The NPT, in force since 1970, is a fundamental global agreement aimed at preventing the spread of nuclear weapons and promoting nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, with review conferences held every five years to assess compliance.