Noting that the Sustainable Development Goal is an action program of the international community, which pledges to eliminate social inequality and poverty on a global scale, give full rein to human dignity and creative ability and guarantee affluent lives not only to our generation but to the coming generations, he went on:

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea considers the goals of the SDG to be in line with its policy for the construction of the thriving socialist nation. We have therefore expressed our approval of it.

Being a socialist state centered on the people, the DPRK serves the people and strives to provide them with more fulfilling and civilized life.

Thanks to the universal 12-year free compulsory educational system and learning-while-working educational system in our country, everyone can study to their hearts' content, and the universal health care system brings medical care within their reach free of charge, regardless of sex, age, occupation and location.

The people are provided with housing, free of charge, as well as jobs for those with abilities; they are not familiar with the word "tax" and enjoy such social benefits as paid leaves, rest and recuperation, all at state expenses.

Our country has a good prospect for sustainable development.

The government of the DPRK has set solving the food issue as the priority task for improving the people's livelihood; it actively introduces scientific farming methods and speeds up the comprehensive mechanization of agriculture to double the grain production by 2030.

Major production bases, educational and cultural facilities and dwelling houses of highest level are sprouting up at maximum speed; newly-built cultural and recreation facilities for the people and coming generations add to their laughter of happiness all around the country.

The DPRK government has declared reforestation as a war to tame the nature, whereby it builds modern tree nurseries to put sapling production on a scientific, industrial and intensive footing; it simultaneously undertakes afforestation and forest protection, so as to afforest or reforest 1.67million hectares of mountainous areas by 2024.

The land development has proceeded in scientific and prospective way to provide people with more civilized and secure ground for life, thereby setting up a firm guarantee to greatly diminish human and economic losses caused by natural disasters by 2030.

The DPRK hold fast to the policy of attaching importance to science and technology as its strategic line. It will steadily increase state investment to science research and increase its level of dependence on domestic raw materials, resources and equipment so as to foster its independent development capacity.

The Sustainable Development Goal calls for full respect for territorial integrity and political independence of all countries, ensuring their complete and permanent exercise of sovereignty in so far as the wealth, natural resources and economic activities are concerned; it also solemnly and strongly urges to prohibit unilateral economic, financial and commercial measures in violation of international laws and the UN Charter.

Sustainable development in our country is going through the most adverse conditions due to the outside forces.

At this very moment, on the Korean peninsula, the largest-ever nuclear war exercise, where armed troops numbering more than 300 000 along with all the nuclear assets of the U.S. are mobilized, is underway, in the most frantic manner.

The nuclear war exercise by the U.S. against the DPRK has been staged in uninterrupted succession since the 1950s till today.

The DPRK government had sought to get rid of the nuclear threat from the U.S. by means of talks and the rule of international law, but all in vain.

The last choice we are left with is to respond nukes in kind.

It is none other than the U.S. that has compelled the DPRK to possess nukes; it is the U.S. nuclear threat that fueled the DPRK's strengthening of nuclear force.

The U.S., the only one that actually used nuclear weapons and the major party to the nuclear issue on the Korean peninsula, still has the face to make an issue of the DPRK's development of self-defensive nuclear deterrence and satellite launches, adopting UNSC "resolutions on sanctions" against the DPRK. This is the height of tyranny and wickedness.

The DPRK's hydrogen bomb test is a measure of self-defence to possess nuclear deterrence with the aim of defending country's sovereignty and nation's right to existence from the aggressive hostile policy of the U.S. and its ever-increasing nuclear threat.

As for the DPRK's satellite launch, it is an exercise of a legitimate right by a sovereign state recognized by international law.

If an issue was to be made with the DPRK's possession of nukes which is aimed at defending itself from the nuclear threat by the U.S., we should begin by holding the U.S. accountable for being the very first to possess nukes and for being the only one that actually used it. The same logic applies to the issue of the DPRK's satellite launch; the countries that have launched satellites so far including the U.S. should all be taken issue with.

The U.S. invoked the UNSC to impose sanctions on the DPRK by distorting its self-defensive measures and peaceful development of space as a "threat" to world peace and a "provocation" against humankind's security. This in itself is a wanton violation of international law and the UN Charter and an open challenge to the implementation of the SDG.

The U.S. has imposed its own heinous sanctions on the DPRK to fill any gaps in the UN sanctions and they are also forcing other countries to cut off all normal trades with it. They are also employing gross and childish methods to hamper the DPRK's economic activities by instigating Japan and south Korea.

The attempts of the U.S. to stifle the DPRK through nuclear threat and economic blockade are nothing but an expression of their utter ignorance.

The U.S. will never understand the DPRK's Juche philosophy which is based on the indomitable spirit of rising stronger and sturdier at tougher sanctions and blockades.

No matter how tough or tight the U.S. sanctions and blockades are, the people of the DPRK will brave through all hardships and difficulties by their own strength upholding the banner of self-development.

One who laughs at last laughs the best, the victory belongs to us; this is the political will of the respected Comrade Kim Jong Un, first chairman of the National Defence Commission of the DPRK, and the belief and mettle that filled the hearts of our people.

The people of the DPRK are confident about their victory and they will make the U.S. fully pay the price for having checked their sustainable development at any time in the future.

The gravity of the U.S. moves to impose sanctions on the DPRK and stifle it lies in that the DPRK is the target of the sanctions and blockades today, but tomorrow all the countries that stand up to the U.S. arbitrary and highhanded practices shall fall victim to the sanctions and blockades.

We cannot expect the achievement of the SDGs which are meant to improve the well-being of humanity unless we put an end to the arbitrary and highhanded practices of applying unilateral standards and values to regard other countries' political systems hostile and putting political, military and economic pressure upon those countries.

The UNSC which is being reduced into a tool of the U.S. in enforcing nuclear war and sanctions against the DPRK and jeopardizing the world peace and security should be reformed without delay to quit being a plaything of the U.S.

On this sacred stage of UN, I strongly urge the U.S. to immediately quit all kinds of nuclear threats and moves for sanctions against the DPRK and withdraw its anachronistic hostile policy towards it.

At the same time, I reaffirm the commitment of the DPRK to the international efforts towards achieving the SDGs despite the grave situation on the Korean peninsula.