North Korea Vows to Remain Nuclear Power, Deputy Defense Minister Says

North Korea will continue to be a nuclear power capable of resisting its enemies, the country's deputy defense minister, Kim Kang Il, said, according to a report by the Russian news agency TASS.

Kim said North Korea will "firmly defend peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in the region," TASS reported, citing his remarks.

The statement reiterates North Korea's longstanding position on maintaining its nuclear arsenal, which it has previously described as essential to national security and deterrence against perceived external threats.

TASS did not provide further details on the context or occasion of Kim's remarks in the excerpt reviewed.

North Korea has faced international sanctions over its nuclear weapons program, which it has developed despite repeated calls from the United Nations and other bodies for denuclearization. Pyongyang has consistently framed its nuclear capability as a deterrent rather than an offensive tool.