Kim Jong Un's sister blasts ASEAN for urging North Korea denuclearisation

Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, has sharply criticized the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) for its calls for denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula. She described the bloc's position as "stupid and foolish" during a statement released Monday.

At a recent regional forum, ASEAN members expressed "grave concern" regarding Pyongyang's continued nuclear weapons development. They emphasized the importance of dialogue to achieve "lasting peace and stability in a denuclearised Korean Peninsula." North Korea, however, maintains its right to nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs, which are prohibited under UN Security Council sanctions. The country officially enshrined its nuclear status in its constitution in 2023.

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It is a failure in strategic thinking and logic and a manifestation of a stupid and foolish wild dream to still adhere to the 'denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula' which had already lost its meaning conceptually and practically.

Kim Yo Jong, a key figure in North Korea's foreign policy and communications, stated that she felt "strong dissatisfaction with the forum's undisguised hostile attitude of going along with the US trumpeting about 'denuclearisation'" and disregarding North Korea's constitution. She asserted that adhering to the concept of denuclearization is a "failure in strategic thinking and logic" and a "stupid and foolish wild dream" that has lost its meaning both conceptually and practically.

She further warned ASEAN against being "misused as a hired mouthpiece for the US." This criticism follows previous statements from Kim Yo Jong, including one in June where she declared North Korea's nuclear weapons program as an "irreversible" stance. Pyongyang has consistently reiterated its status as a nuclear state since the collapse of the 2019 summit between Kim Jong Un and then-U.S. President Donald Trump, which faltered over the scope of denuclearization and sanctions relief.

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ASEAN should guard against 'being misused as a hired mouthpiece for the US'.