Kim Jong Un issues nuclear threat during military anniversary 1:57
(CNN) --
North Korea has passed a new law declaring itself a nuclear weapons state, a move leader Kim Jong Un says is "irreversible."
Kim vowed the country will "never give up" its nuclear weapons and, while welcoming the law's passage, said there could be no negotiations on denuclearization, North Korean state media reported Friday.
The new law also enshrines Pyongyang's right to use preemptive nuclear strikes to protect itself, updating an earlier stance that it had said it would keep its weapons only until other countries denuclearized and not use them preemptively against non-nuclear states.
Nuclear weapons represent the "dignity, body and absolute power of the state," Kim said, welcoming the decision of the country's official parliament, the Supreme People's Assembly, to pass the new law in a unanimous vote.
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"The adoption of laws and regulations related to the national nuclear force policy is a remarkable event, as it is our declaration that we legally acquire war deterrence as a means of national defense," Kim said.
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"As long as nuclear weapons exist on Earth, and as long as imperialism and anti-North Korean maneuvers by the United States and its followers remain, our path to strengthening our nuclear force will never end."
The new law also prohibits sharing nuclear technology with other countries.
North Korea's nuclear program
The move comes amid rising regional tensions over North Korea's expansion of its nuclear weapons and missile programs.
In recent months, Kim has made increasingly provocative threats of nuclear conflict against the United States and its allies.
At the same time, the US is growing concerned that North Korea may be preparing to carry out its first underground nuclear test in years.
Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korea Studies in Seoul, said the law demonstrates Pyongyang's hopes of strengthening its relations with China and Russia at a time of heightened global tensions.
"It is significant that North Korea mentions the possibility of using nuclear weapons in case an attack against the state and leader is imminent, even though it claims that nuclear weapons are a defensive last resort," Yang said.
Kim Jong Un