North Korea’s nuclear development is a matter of serious concern to the international community as it not only threatens peace and security of the Korean Peninsula, Northeast Asia, and the international community but also undermines the foundation of the international non-proliferation regime. For more than three decades, the ROK government and relevant countries have made intensive efforts to resolve this issue.

The North Korean nuclear issue drew international attention when North Korea announced that it would withdraw from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) in 1993. Ever since, the North Korean nuclear issue has gone through cycles of progress and regress.

The Agreed Framework (Geneva Agreement) of 1994 between the United States and North Korea resulted in the freezing of North Korea’s plutonium nuclear facilities for several years. However, suspicions arose about North Korea’s nuclear development involving enriched uranium, leading to the collapse of the agreement eight years after its conclusion. In 2002, North Korea resumed the operations of its plutonium nuclear facilities.

Initiated in 2003 as a collective effort to address the North Korean nuclear issue through dialogue, the Six-Party Talks involved South and North Koreas as well as the U.S., China, Japan, and Russia. The Six-Party Talks achieved some progress, including the adoption of the “Joint Statement of the Fourth Round of the Six-Party Talks” on September 19, 2005; “Initial Actions for the Implementation of the Joint Statement” on February 13, 2007; and “Second-Phase Actions for the Implementation of the Joint Statement” on October 3, 2007. However, the Six-Party Talks has not convened since December 2008, as the parties failed to reach a consensus on the verification protocol on nuclear facilities and material.

Even during the Six-Party process, North Korea continued its nuclear and missile development, conducting its first nuclear test in 2006 and its second test in 2009. Furthermore, the inter-Korean relationship deteriorated significantly due to North Korea’s attack on the ROK navy ship Cheonan in March and North Korea’s shelling of Yeonpyeong Island in November, both occuring in 2010. Also, suspicions on North Korea’s uranium enrichment activities were brought to light after Pyongyang disclosed information about its relevant facilities at Yongbyon on November 12, 2010.

In 2012, the international community had high expectations for progress in denuclearization negotiations when the United States and North Korea reached a deal (the so-called “Leap Day” Deal), which included a moratorium on nuclear tests and missile launches. However, the agreement collapsed as North Korea launched a long-range missile on April 13 and proclaimed itself as a “nuclear weapons state” in the preamble of its newly-amended constitution on the same day. Since 2013, North Korea has sought to be recognized as a nuclear power, despite strong opposition from the international community. This pursuit is demonstrated through a series of measures including the third nuclear test on February 12, 2013; declaration of its permanent position as a “nuclear state” on March 9; adoption of the so-called "Byungjin" policy on March 31, under which North Korea simultaneously pushed forward its economic construnction and building of nuclear forces; enactment of the law ”on Further consolidating the position of the self-defensive nuclear weapons state” on April 1; and incorporation of the Byungjin policy in the rules of the Workers’ Party of Korea amended at the 7th Party Congress in May 2016.

In 2016, despite the repeated warnings from the international community, North Korea conducted its fourth nuclear test in January and, 8 months later, its fifth test in September. In 2017, North Korea conducted its sixth nuclear test and intercontinental ballistic missiles-class (ICBM-class) ballistic missile launches.

In 2018, the ROK, the U.S., and North Korea reached some agreements with regard to the North Korean nuclear issue through three inter-Korean Summits and the first U.S.-North Korea Summit, and the outcome documents of these meetings – the Panmunjom Declaration of April 27, the U.S.-North Korea Joint Statement at the Singapore Summit on June 12, and Pyongyang Joint Declaration on September 19. However, the second U.S.-North Korea Summit in Hanoi on February 27-28, 2019 ended without any meaningful outcome. Since then, North Korea has remained unresponsive to calls for denuclearization talks from the international community.

Meanwhile, North Korea declared its objective of “developing the nuclear force and strengthening defense capabilities” in the Eighth Congress of the Workers’ Party of Korea in January 2021, and has since been continuing its missile provocations, which include hypersonic glide vehicles and submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs). Since 2022, North Korea has launched more than 100 ballistic missiles, including 13 ICBMs), marking an unprecedented level of provocations. In September 2022, North Korea adopted the law on policy on nuclear forces, which contains an aggressive nuclear doctrine. One year later, the nuclear forces policy was incorporated into its constitution in September 2023.

The Director General’s report of the IAEA in August 2021 indicated that nuclear facilities in Yongbyon and other regions are in operation. Furthermore, from 2022, there have been continuous signs of preparations for another nuclear test.

The international community will never accept North Korea's possession of nuclear weapons under any circumstances. The unified stance of the international community against North Korea’s repeated provocations and violations of international obligations is clearly reflected in the UN Security Council resolutions 2270 (March 2016), 2321 (November 2016), 2356 (June 2017), 2371 (August 2017), 2375 (September 2017), and 2397 (December 2017). The ROK Government will work to ensure thorough implementation of these UNSCRs and unilateral sanctions measures. Furthermore, as a key stakeholder in the North Korean nuclear issue, the ROK will lead international cooperation to create a strategic environment that leaves North Korea no option but to return to the path of denuclearization.

On August 15, 2022, at the National Liberation Day ceremony, President Yoon Suk-yeol proposed the Audacious Initiative for a denuclearized, peaceful and prosperous Korean Peninsula. The Audacious Initiative includes a set of corresponding measures encompassing political, economic and military aspects, to be provided in close coordination with the U.S. and the international community once North Korea embarks on the path of substantive denuclearization. The ROK government aims to establish sustainable peace through complete denuclearization of North Korea, and will pursue the denuclearization of North Korea and the establishment of a peace regime in a principled and consistent manner. Accordingly, the ROK government will deter North Korea’s nuclear threats, dissuade Pyongyang’s nuclear development through sanctions and pressure, and pursue denuclearization of North Korea through dialogue and diplomacy.

The ROK government will maintain a robust ROK-U.S. combined defense posture against North Korea’s provocations. Based on the Audacious Initiative, the ROK will continue steadfast diplomatic efforts aimed at compelling North Korea to cease further provocations and return to denuclearization talks.