North Korea's strategic deterrent forces guarantee peace and the balance of power on the Korean Peninsula, the DPRK’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kim Song Gyong said while speaking at the general debate of the 80th session of the UN General Assembly. "Despite the complex situation on the Korean Peninsula, the guns are silent and peace and security are firmly guaranteed. North Korea's nuclear potential, he said, suppresses the desire of Pyongyang's opponents to "provoke a war." He explained that North Korea had stipulated in its constitution a special status for its nuclear deterrent forces in order to maintain balance and lasting peace in the region. Kim Song Kyung reiterated that the North Korean authorities cannot renounce nuclear weapons, as their nuclear status is enshrined in the country's fundamental law.