"It's very certain that North Korea is developing nuclear weapons for offensive purposes. They don't need nuclear weapons to defend their own country"
About this Quote
The core claim hinges on a sharp moral distinction: deterrence versus aggression. “They don’t need nuclear weapons to defend” is less a technical assessment than a framing device. It assumes conventional forces, geography, and regime survival logic don’t plausibly justify a nuclear deterrent. That’s a contested premise, and Kim’s insistence signals his real target: not Pyongyang’s capabilities, but the legitimacy of its rationale. If you can strip a nuclear program of defensive alibis, you make it easier to argue for pressure, isolation, even preemption.
The subtext is about intention-reading in international politics. Calling the program “offensive” smuggles in a forecast of behavior: coercion, blackmail, first strike, regional dominance. It also mirrors a familiar post-9/11 pattern where worst-case interpretation becomes policy fuel. The quote works because it feels like common sense - why else would a pariah state chase the bomb? - while quietly smoothing over the strategic reasons regimes pursue nuclear weapons: deterrence against superior powers, bargaining leverage, and internal legitimacy.
In that way, the line is less a diagnosis than a directive: treat North Korea not as a nervous state with a shield, but as an aggressor sharpening a knife.
Quote Details
| Topic | War |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Sam, Kim Y. (2026, January 15). It's very certain that North Korea is developing nuclear weapons for offensive purposes. They don't need nuclear weapons to defend their own country. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/its-very-certain-that-north-korea-is-developing-146719/
Chicago Style
Sam, Kim Y. "It's very certain that North Korea is developing nuclear weapons for offensive purposes. They don't need nuclear weapons to defend their own country." FixQuotes. January 15, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/its-very-certain-that-north-korea-is-developing-146719/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"It's very certain that North Korea is developing nuclear weapons for offensive purposes. They don't need nuclear weapons to defend their own country." FixQuotes, 15 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/its-very-certain-that-north-korea-is-developing-146719/. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.



