N. Korea denounces G7 call for Pyongyang’s denuclearization

North Korea on Friday denounced a recent call by the Group of Seven (G7) countries for Pyongyang’s complete denuclearization, saying the regime’s will to retain its nuclear arsenal is “firm and unwavering” amid external nuclear threats.

“I express strong complaint and regret over the G7 foreign ministers’ explicit hostility that directly infringes upon our constitution, and I resolutely denounce it in the strongest possible rhetorical terms,” the North’s Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui said in a statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

The statement came after the G7 foreign ministers reaffirmed their commitment to the complete denuclearization of North Korea on Wednesday (local time), issuing a joint statement following their gathering in Canada.

In the statement issued by the top diplomats of the U.S., Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Britain, Japan and the High Representative of the European Union, the countries also condemned North Korea’s advancing nuclear and missile programs.

North Korea’s “current status” does not shift due to any external rhetorical claims, and its possession of nuclear weapons is the “most correct choice” to deter the most hostile and dangerous countries in today’s dire geopolitical environment, Choe said.

“Even if the U.S. and its allies cry out for 10, 20, 50 or 100 years, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK)’s nuclear possession will remain a reality whether they like it or not,” she said.

The foreign minister noted that the G7 has no right to dictate how sovereign countries should safeguard their own security or to discuss North Korea’s “sovereign choices.”

“The DPRK’s will to guarantee the state and people’s present and future and to realize international justice by remaining faithful to its constitution that perpetuate its nuclear possession, is firm and unwavering” as long as external nuclear threats persist, Choe warned.