North Korea Won’t Abandon Nuclear Weapons, Kim’s Sister Says, Calls Denuclearisation Hopes ‘Idiotic’

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s sister, Kim Yo Jong, has ruled out any possibility of the country abandoning its nuclear weapons, declaring Pyongyang’s status as a nuclear power “absolute.”

Kim Yo Jong described expectations of North Korea giving up its nuclear arsenal as unrealistic, saying the country’s nuclear position had been permanently established both legally and physically.

“The DPRK’s position as a nuclear weapons state is absolute which can not reverse with anything,” she said in a statement released by the official Korean Central News Agency on Thursday.

North Korea has formally enshrined its nuclear weapons status in law, while its leadership has repeatedly described its nuclear arsenal as permanent and irreversible.

Kim Yo Jong also defended the country’s nuclear programme, saying it serves as a deterrent against hostile actions.

According to her, Pyongyang’s nuclear arsenal “makes a significant contribution to deterring the outrageous acts of international rogues.”

Her statement was issued as the General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency was taking place in Vienna.

She used the occasion to dismiss what she called the “familiar silly talk” surrounding international efforts to persuade North Korea to denuclearise.

“If they believe that it is really possible, they will only hear the word of idiots,” she said.

She added: “No matter how rhetorically the hostile forces may deny, the reality in which the nuclear position of the DPRK has been permanently settled physically and legally cannot change even a bit.”

The comments have drawn attention in South Korea because they came amid renewed signals from US President Donald Trump that he may seek another meeting with Kim Jong Un.

A South Korean Unification Ministry official said Seoul was closely monitoring Kim Yo Jong’s remarks.

“We are paying close attention to Kim Yo Jong’s statement, as it comes at a time when US President Donald Trump has recently expressed his willingness to pursue dialogue with North Korea,” the official said, according to an AFP-obtained transcript.

Trump said in August that North Korea had 57 “very powerful” nuclear weapons. South Korea, however, estimates Pyongyang’s arsenal at between 80 and 120.

The US president has repeatedly expressed willingness to resume talks with Kim and said last month that he intended to meet the North Korean leader later this year.

Trump and Kim held three meetings during Trump’s first term in office. Their diplomatic efforts, however, stalled after the 2019 Hanoi summit failed to produce an agreement on sanctions relief and the concessions Pyongyang would make in exchange for denuclearisation.

Since the failed Hanoi talks, North Korea has continued to expand its nuclear arsenal.

Africans Angle News