The foreign ministry said that denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula remains the consistent goal of the international community, including South Korea and the United States, after a senior North Korean diplomat declared at the United Nations that Pyongyang would never give up its nuclear weapons.

The ministry noted that repeated UN Security Council resolutions have urged the North to denuclearize.

It also reiterated Seoul’s three principles on inter-Korean relations, which include vows to respect Pyongyang's systems, refrain from pursuing unification by absorption and avoid hostility.

The ministry said it will continue diplomatic efforts in close coordination with Washington, seeking peaceful coexistence and shared growth.

Speaking at the UN General Assembly on Monday, North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Kim Son-gyong said denuclearization would amount to “surrendering sovereignty and the right to existence.”