Overview
- North Korea’s UN ambassador Kim Song, in a statement carried by state media Thursday, said the DPRK rejects any NPT obligations and declared its nuclear status unchanged.
- Pyongyang withdrew from the treaty in 2003, conducted six nuclear tests afterward, and is assessed by researchers to hold dozens of warheads.
- At a South Korea–France side event this week, Seoul reaffirmed the goal of complete denuclearization but urged phased, flexible steps to reduce risk and keep dialogue possible.
- Russia and China used the conference to charge the West with double standards, citing alleged US–Israeli strikes on Iran, warnings about Japan’s policy shifts, and AUKUS submarine technology transfers, while calling for depoliticized IAEA safeguards.
- Analysts and delegates say trust in the NPT is eroding after years of stalled disarmament and past review failures, raising the chance this conference will again end without a shared plan.