North Korea emphasized on the 8th that its nuclear forces are real weapons and not subjects of negotiation.
The Korean Central News Agency noted on this day, "Our nuclear weapons are not advertisements to receive recognition from anyone, nor are they "bargaining chips" to be exchanged for a few coins."
The agency stated, "Our country's nuclear forces are unchanging practical means to swiftly eliminate any aggression attempts by hostile forces that infringe on our sovereignty and the safety of our people and threaten regional peace from the outset."
This is interpreted as a backlash to recent reaffirmations by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), European Union (EU), and others that they do not recognize North Korea as a nuclear-armed state. The agency called NATO and the EU a "group opposing the republic loyal to the United States."
Regarding the spokesperson's statement that North Korea must "completely, verifiably, and irreversibly eliminate nuclear weapons, existing nuclear programs, and all other weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs," it was criticized as "anachronistic nonsense."
The agency mentioned, "The world is experiencing painful days and months that have not been felt in any era due to the peace-destroying acts of the Western powers led by the United States," and added, "(NATO and the EU) are desperately trying to create another peace-destroying scenario, poking their heads into the Korean Peninsula, which is geographically far away."
It continued, "The justification of our nuclear weapons enhancement policy, which knows no limits, is highlighted right here. What is clearer at this time is that hostile forces pursuing ill intentions feel significant apprehension and anxiety in front of the republic's nuclear forces."
This commentary came out following the U.S.-Japan summit on the 7th (local time), where senior officials of the Trump administration reiterated their unwavering pursuit of North Korea's complete denuclearization. A senior official of the Trump administration said, "We will closely cooperate with South Korea, Japan, and others while maintaining the principles of North Korea's complete denuclearization."