Seoul: The secretary-general of the United Nations says he is “deeply concerned” by North Korea officially enshrining the right to use preemptive nuclear strikes to protect itself.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said that the new law makes its nuclear status “irreversible” and bars denuclearisation talks, its state media reported on Friday.

Antonio Guterres, the secretary general of the United Nations said he was concerned by the law and reiterated calls for Pyongyang to return to denuclearisation talks. The UN has long-standing sanctions on North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs.

The United States again said it had no hostile intent towards North Korea and is willing to resume talks without preconditions.

North Korea’s move comes as observers say the country appears to be preparing to resume nuclear testing for the first time since 2017, after historic summits with then-US president Donald Trump and other world leaders in 2018 failed to persuade Kim to abandon his weapons development.

North Korea’s rubber-stamp parliament, the Supreme People’s Assembly, passed the legislation on Thursday as a replacement to a 2013 law that first outlined the country’s nuclear status, according to the country’s state news agency KCNA.

“The utmost significance of legislating nuclear weapons policy is to draw an irretrievable line so that there can be no bargaining over our nuclear weapons,” it quoted Kim as telling the assembly. He added that he would never surrender the weapons even if the country faced 100 years of sanctions.

Among the scenarios that could trigger a nuclear attack would be the threat of an imminent nuclear strike; if the country’s leadership, people or existence were under threat; or to gain the upper hand during a war.