North Korea on Thursday strongly criticised the Quad nations after the grouping called for the “complete denuclearisation” of Pyongyang during a recent foreign ministers’ meeting held in New Delhi. Responding sharply to the statement, North Korea declared that it would “never” give up its nuclear weapons programme and accused the Quad of interfering in its internal affairs.

The reaction came after the foreign ministers of India, the United States, Japan and Australia met in New Delhi on May 26 and released a joint statement on regional security concerns, including North Korea’s missile and nuclear activities.

In a statement carried by South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency, North Korea’s foreign ministry attacked the Quad and described it as “nothing but a political and diplomatic tool serving the realisation of US unipolar dominance.”

The ministry strongly opposed the Quad’s stand on denuclearisation and repeated that the country would not abandon its nuclear programme under any circumstances. “Explicitly speaking once again, the ‘denuclearisation’ of the DPRK will never happen forever,” a spokesperson for the ministry said. DPRK stands for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, which is North Korea’s official name.

Pyongyang also criticised what it called the “US-led” Quad’s “hostile stance” and urged the grouping to stop “the pursuit of confrontation that undermines regional peace and stability.”

The criticism followed the release of the Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting Joint Statement issued after the New Delhi talks. In the statement, the four countries said, “We reaffirm our commitment to the complete denuclearisation of North Korea in accordance with relevant UNSCRs and urge North Korea to abide by all its obligations under the relevant UNSCRs.”

The Quad nations also condemned North Korea’s “unlawful development of ballistic missiles and weapons of mass destruction.” The statement further expressed “grave concern” over North Korea’s cyber activities, which are allegedly being used to fund its weapons programmes.

The grouping also called on all United Nations member states to fully implement sanctions against North Korea. These sanctions include restrictions on arms transfers and procurement linked to Pyongyang’s military and weapons activities.

Apart from North Korea’s nuclear and missile programmes, the Quad statement also raised concerns over countries’ increasing military cooperation with Pyongyang. According to the grouping, such cooperation weakens the global non-proliferation system and raises security concerns in the region.

Meanwhile, South Korea’s unification ministry said North Korea’s latest reaction appeared less aggressive compared to previous years. Officials in Seoul observed that Pyongyang has repeatedly criticised the Quad in the past because it views the grouping as a possible model for an “Asian version” of NATO.

A ministry official noted that North Korea’s criticism this year was broader than before. Unlike last year, when Pyongyang mainly targeted the United States, this time it also criticised Japan and Australia while appearing to defend China’s position in the region.

The latest exchange highlights growing tensions in the Indo-Pacific region over North Korea’s weapons programmes and rising geopolitical competition. While the Quad countries continue to push for denuclearisation and stronger sanctions enforcement, North Korea has once again made it clear that it has no intention of giving up its nuclear capabilities.

The development also reflects the widening divide between Pyongyang and Western-aligned countries on regional security issues. As diplomatic tensions continue, concerns remain over North Korea’s missile tests, military activities and its growing partnerships with countries opposed to Western influence in the region.