Asia Pacific
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s powerful sister, Kim Yo Jong, has said that the country’s status as a nuclear state is “absolutely definitive” and that those who hope for North Korea to become denuclearized are “fools.”
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s powerful sister, Kim Yo Jong, has said that the country’s status as a nuclear state is “absolutely definitive” and that those who hope for North Korea to become denuclearized are “fools.” According to Agency France-Press (AFP), North Korea has legally declared itself a nuclear-armed state, and its leadership has said that the country’s nuclear arsenal is permanent and irreversible. U.S. President Donald Trump said in August that Pyongyang possesses 57 “very powerful” nuclear weapons, while Seoul estimates that North Korea has between 80 and 120. South Korea said it is closely monitoring Thursday’s statement because it came at a time when Trump has indicated that he may seek another meeting with Kim Jong Un.
In a statement released through the state-run Korean Central News Agency, Kim Yo Jong said, “The DPRK’s status as a nuclear state is absolutely definitive and cannot be changed by anything.” She said that “Pyongyang’s nuclear arsenal plays an important role in deterrence against international bullies.”
The statement came during the International Atomic Energy Agency’s General Conference in Vienna, where she said that “foolish talk” about efforts to denuclearize North Korea was to be expected. She said, “If they believe that this is truly possible, they are only listening to fools.” She further said, “No matter how much hostile forces verbally deny it, the reality is that the DPRK’s nuclear status has been permanently established both physically and legally and cannot be changed in the slightest.” An official from South Korea’s Ministry of Unification said the timing of the statement was noteworthy. “We are closely monitoring Kim Yo Jong’s statement because it comes at a time when U.S. President Donald Trump has recently expressed his desire to engage in dialogue with North Korea.”
The U.S. president has repeatedly expressed his desire to resume talks with Kim Jong Un, and last month said that he intended to meet him later this year. During his first term in office, Trump held three meetings with Kim, but his diplomacy ultimately failed to produce an agreement after the 2019 Hanoi summit ended without a deal on easing sanctions or taking denuclearization measures. Since the failure of the Hanoi summit, Pyongyang has further expanded its nuclear arsenal.
