Kim Jong Un made a major declaration during North Korea's seventh congress of the Workers' Party: His country would only use nuclear weapons if its…

Kim Jong Un made a major declaration during North Korea's seventh congress of the Workers' Party: His country would only use nuclear weapons if its sovereignty came under threat from another nuclear power, the government press agency reported

Kim also pledged that North Korea would follow a policy of non-proliferation of nuclear technology. And he said North Korea is willing to improve and normalize relations with countries that have been "hostile" in the past

"As a responsible nuclear weapons state, our republic will not use a nuclear weapon unless its sovereignty is encroached upon by any aggressive hostile forces with nukes," Kim said during the congress, the first in 36 years

It's important to note that North Korea has pledged in the past that it would "never use nuclear weapons first." It has also sought negotiations with the U.S. and others over its nuclear program

So the question is: Does this statement represent a new direction for North Korea? Or is it more of the regime here trying to sow confusion and gain a tactical advantage over the U.S. and other world powers in the showdown over its nuclear programs?

In the run-up to the party congress here, Western analysts speculated that Kim would use the congress to turn the page on the nuclear issue, declaring in essence that North Korea has now accomplished its goal of developing a credible nuclear deterrent -- and would now seek to emphasize economic development

That might be happening here. As usual, when it comes to North Korea--it's very hard to be sure of anything