Various countries criticized North Korea for its continued nuclear development at the UN Conference on Disarmament, but the regime doubled down, saying it will only increase nuclear power as pressure mounts.
 
According to Seoul's permanent mission in Geneva, South Korea's chief delegate to the conference, ambassador Yoon Seong-mee said during a Tuesday session that North Korea legislated a law on nuclear policy last September and is ready to conduct its seventh nuclear test at any time.
 
Yoon also cited the North's unprecedented provocations, including the firing of eight intercontinental ballistic missiles, and urged Pyongyang to stop its defiance against the global nonproliferation regime.
 
Other countries attending the conference are also known to have denounced North Korea's provocations and nuclear development.
 
In response, North Korean ambassador to Geneva Han Tae-song said that as long as the U.S. and its allies continue a pressure campaign, the North will continue to expand its nuclear arsenal, calling it a deterrent and a means to defend national sovereignty and security.