Kim Yo-jong, Deputy Director of North Korea's Workers' Party, strongly rejected claims from the recent U.S.-China summit that both countries agreed on the goal of denuclearizing North Korea, calling it "a mere game of spreading conventional false information" and emphasizing North Korea's status as a nuclear power.
Her remarks are interpreted as an effort to clarify that denuclearization will not be on the agenda for the upcoming North Korea-China summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
According to the Workers' Party's official newspaper, Rodong Sinmun, Kim made her statements on June 6 in response to comments from a U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) representative who stated that the U.S. remains committed to the goal of denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula. Kim described these remarks as "completely fabricated and absurd misinformation," adding that the U.S. officials' obsession with denuclearization is a strong wish that is not based in reality.
Kim asserted, "We possess the most accurate information regarding the existence of such facts."
She also referenced the recent approval by the U.S. State Department for the sale of Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM) and related equipment to South Korea, stating, "This is precisely why we are committed to strengthening our self-defense capabilities to ensure national security against the continuous military buildup of hostile forces, and why we must continue to do so in the future."
Kim added, "We will never allow the balance of power to be disrupted to safeguard our sovereignty and ensure regional stability and peace," emphasizing that the leader's declared policy of continuously strengthening self-defensive nuclear deterrence must be implemented as an irreversible final conclusion.
She stated, "Our status as a nuclear power is an absolute line that cannot be crossed, regardless of who acknowledges it. Nuclear weapons are the most powerful argument in debates with those who value strength. We will not tolerate any threats or compromises regarding our sovereignty and security."
Lim Eul-chul, a professor at Kyungnam University's Institute for Far Eastern Studies, analyzed that North Korea is sending a message that its friendly relations with China can only develop under the premise that China recognizes it as a "nuclear power," suggesting that the recognition of nuclear status will be a key point of interest in the upcoming North Korea-China summit.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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