North Korea’s New Nuclear Law Drives Nail in the Coffin of Denuclearization

{
  "authors": [
    "Ankit Panda"
  ],
  "type": "legacyinthemedia",
  "centerAffiliationAll": "dc",
  "centers": [
    "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace"
  ],
  "collections": [],
  "englishNewsletterAll": "ctw",
  "nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
  "primaryCenter": "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
  "programAffiliation": "NPP",
  "programs": [
    "Nuclear Policy"
  ],
  "projects": [],
  "regions": [
    "East Asia",
    "North Korea"
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Nuclear Policy"
  ]
}

In The Media

North Korea’s New Nuclear Law Drives Nail in the Coffin of Denuclearization

North Korea’s Supreme People’s Assembly has adopted a new law on nuclear policy, updating a 2013 antecedent. While the law does not fundamentally upend North Korean nuclear strategy or doctrine, it expands the scenarios under which the country’s nuclear weapons may be released.

By Ankit Panda

Published on Sep 12, 2022

NK Pro

About the Author

Ankit Panda

Stanton Senior Fellow, Nuclear Policy Program

Ankit Panda is the Stanton Senior Fellow in the Nuclear Policy Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Recent Work

Paper
Nuclear Weapons and the Future of American Power
- James M. Acton, Ankit Panda
Commentary
If Trump Wants to Meet Kim Again, He’s Got One Big Opportunity in Early 2026
- Ankit Panda

Nuclear Policy East Asia North Korea

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

More Work from Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

Commentary
Emissary
The Fallout of the U.S.–Canada Trade War Won’t Be Limited to North America
U.S. trading partners in Asia are closely watching the dispute for signs of how it may affect their own interests.
Barbara Weisel
Commentary
Emissary
Is the U.S.-Saudi Nuclear Deal Moving From the Gold Standard to a Gilded Standard?
Congress should ask tough questions about the agreement’s more unique features and whether they advance U.S. interests or compromise them.
Jane Darby Menton
Commentary
Emissary
A Nuclear Odyssey at Sea
Nuclear and maritime communities face a long and challenging journey to deploy commercial nuclear applications at sea.
Jamie Kwong, Toby Dalton
Article
The Two Logics Driving Japan’s Security Policy
Japan’s revision of its three strategic documents reflects an intention to keep the United States engaged in the region while Japan fills any vacuums of U.S. power to preserve the Indo-Pacific order.
Ryo Sahashi
Commentary
Caught in the Middle: Chinese Biotech Firms’ Divergent Responses to U.S. Sanctions
Chinese biotech companies have been on the receiving end of U.S. economic coercion. Yet their responses have differed significantly because firm and state interests are not uniformly aligned. For Washington, treating all Chinese tech firms the same, irrespective of their actual interests, risks pushing them farther into Beijing’s corner.
Xue Gong

More Work from Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

Aerial view of shipping containers at a port

Commentary

Emissary

The Fallout of the U.S.–Canada Trade War Won’t Be Limited to North America

U.S. trading partners in Asia are closely watching the dispute for signs of how it may affect their own interests.

Barbara Weisel

Commentary

Emissary

Is the U.S.-Saudi Nuclear Deal Moving From the Gold Standard to a Gilded Standard?

Congress should ask tough questions about the agreement’s more unique features and whether they advance U.S. interests or compromise them.

Jane Darby Menton

Black-and-white photo of the nuclear cargo ship NS Savannah.

Commentary

Emissary

A Nuclear Odyssey at Sea

Nuclear and maritime communities face a long and challenging journey to deploy commercial nuclear applications at sea.

Jamie Kwong, Toby Dalton

Japanese troops take part in a counter-landing live fire exercise as part of the annual Balikatan joint military drills on May 04, 2026 in Laoag, Ilocos Norte province, Philippines.

Article

The Two Logics Driving Japan’s Security Policy

Japan’s revision of its three strategic documents reflects an intention to keep the United States engaged in the region while Japan fills any vacuums of U.S. power to preserve the Indo-Pacific order.

Ryo Sahashi

Robot arm with disposable test tube virus sampling in laboratory

Commentary

Caught in the Middle: Chinese Biotech Firms’ Divergent Responses to U.S. Sanctions

Chinese biotech companies have been on the receiving end of U.S. economic coercion. Yet their responses have differed significantly because firm and state interests are not uniformly aligned. For Washington, treating all Chinese tech firms the same, irrespective of their actual interests, risks pushing them farther into Beijing’s corner.

Xue Gong