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Kim Yo Jong: North Korea's nuclear status is an 'absolute red line'
🇰🇷 South Korea /Energy & Infrastructure

Kim Yo Jong: North Korea's nuclear status is an 'absolute red line'

From Dong-A Ilbo · () Korean

Translated from Korean, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • North Korea's Kim Yo Jong rejected U.S. claims that North Korea and China reaffirmed a common goal of denuclearization.
  • She emphasized that North Korea's status as a nuclear-armed state is an "absolute, inviolable red line."
  • Kim stated that U.S. assertions about denuclearization have no legal binding force and are based on "fabrication."

Kim Yo Jong, a key official in North Korea's ruling party, has strongly refuted claims made by the United States that North Korea and China agreed on the common goal of denuclearization. The remarks come ahead of an anticipated visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping to Pyongyang.

It is a complete fabrication and baseless false information. It may be the hope of U.S. officials who are strangely strong in their obsession with the jargon of denuclearization, but it is not true at all.

— Kim Yo JongResponding to U.S. claims about denuclearization agreement between Trump and Xi.

Kim, who heads the General Affairs Department of the Workers' Party of Korea Central Committee, dismissed U.S. State Department assertions that President Donald Trump and President Xi Jinping had reaffirmed a shared objective of denuclearization during a recent summit. She characterized these claims as "typical, habitual spreading of false information."

The U.S. claims that seek to discuss the status of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea as a nuclear-weapon state will not have any legal binding force, and no one will be bound by the U.S.'s unilateral rhetoric.

— Kim Yo JongStating North Korea's position on its nuclear status.

Addressing specific comments by U.S. Trade Representative Jamie Grossman, who stated that Trump and Xi had agreed on denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, Kim labeled the statement as "complete fabrication and baseless false information." She suggested that the U.S. officials' "obsession with the jargon of denuclearization" stems from their own hopes rather than reality.

We will never tolerate any threat or compromise on our sovereignty and security.

— Kim Yo JongEmphasizing North Korea's commitment to its security.

Kim asserted that North Korea does not discuss its core sovereignty and security with anyone, and that any U.S. claims regarding its nuclear status hold no legal power. She warned that forces hostile to North Korea should abandon their "delusion" about denuclearization, especially in light of U.S. military support for South Korea, such as the approval of Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) exports. She concluded by stating that North Korea's nuclear-armed status is an "absolute, inviolable red line" and a reality that will not change based on external hopes or rhetoric.

Our status as a nuclear-weapon state is an absolute, inviolable red line, and it is an undeniable reality whether anyone recognizes it or not.

— Kim Yo JongReiterating North Korea's nuclear stance.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Dong-A Ilbo in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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