Kim Jong-un declares North Korea a nuclear state and says it will never give up its weapons

‘We will never give up our rights to self-defence,’ said the North Korean leader

Kim Jong-un has said North Korea will never abandon their nuclear weapons even if his country was sanctioned for “100 years”.

He was speaking in parliament as a law was passed allowing Pyongyang to use pre-emptive nuclear strikes in order to protect itself, a move likely to spark further tensions in the region.

The law spells out conditions whereby North Korea could use nuclear weapons, including when it determines its leadership is facing an imminent “nuclear or non-nuclear attack by hostile forces”.