North Korea will 'never' get nuclear recognition, EU and South Korea say

North Korea will'never' get nuclear recognition, EU and South Korea say European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen shakes hands with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung next to European Council President Antonio Costa on the day of an EU-South Korea summit in Brussels on Wednesday. South Korea and the European Union have said that North Korea will "never" be recognized as a nuclear-weapon state, reaffirming their commitment to denuclearization days after China and North Korea pledged closer ties at a summit that made no public mention of the issue. South Korean President Lee Jae Myung held talks with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa on Wednesday in Brussels, where they agreed to step up defense ties, including efforts to facilitate the exchange of classified information. "The DPRK will never be accepted as a nuclear-weapon state," the EU and South Korea said in a joint statement, referring to North Korea's formal name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever. By subscribing, you can help us get the story right.