North Korea has passed a law declaring itself to be a nuclear weapons state, according to state news agency KCNA.
The country’s leader Kim Jong-un called the decision “irreversible” and ruled out the possibility of any talks on denuclearisation, it said.
The law also enshrines the country’s right to use a pre-emptive nuclear strike to protect itself.
Despite crippling sanctions, Pyongyang has conducted six nuclear tests between 2006 and 2017.
It has continued to advance its military capability – in breach of United Nations Security Council resolutions – to threaten its neighbours and potentially even bring the US mainland within striking range.
Mr. Kim carried long-range launches and nuclear tests in 2019 following two headline-grabbing but inconclusive summits with then US president Donald Trump. [BBC]