Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, said on Thursday that the country’s status as a nuclear weapons state was “absolute,” dismissing hopes of denuclearising Pyongyang as unrealistic.
North Korea has legally enshrined its status as a nuclear-armed state, with its leadership repeatedly declaring its nuclear arsenal permanent and irreversible.
“The DPRK’s position as a nuclear weapons state is absolute which cannot be reversed with anything,” Kim Yo Jong said in a statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency, using North Korea’s formal name.
She said the country’s nuclear arsenal makes a “significant contribution” to deterring what she called hostile actions by foreign powers.
North Korea rejects denuclearisation calls
Kim made the remarks as the International Atomic Energy Agency held its General Conference in Vienna, saying renewed calls for North Korea’s denuclearisation were to be expected.
“If they believe that it is really possible, they will only hear the word of idiots,” she said, adding that North Korea’s nuclear status could not be changed because it had been “permanently settled physically and legally.”
The remarks came as US President Donald Trump has again signaled an interest in meeting Kim Jong-un, prompting South Korea to closely monitor Pyongyang’s response.
A South Korean Unification Ministry official said Kim Yo-jong’s statement was significant because of its timing, noting that Trump had recently expressed his willingness to pursue dialogue with North Korea.
Trump signals renewed talks
Trump has repeatedly said he is willing to resume direct diplomacy with Kim. The US president met the North Korean leader three times during his first term, but negotiations stalled after their 2019 summit in Hanoi failed to produce an agreement on sanctions relief or steps toward denuclearisation.
North Korea has continued expanding its nuclear capabilities since the failed Hanoi summit.
Trump said in August that North Korea possesses 57 “very powerful” nuclear weapons, while South Korean estimates put the size of Pyongyang’s arsenal at between 80 and 120 warheads.
