North Korea's Kim Yo Jong dismisses US-China denuclearization pledge as 'disinformation game'

Kim Yo Jong, vice department director of the Workers' Party of Korea Central Committee, has strongly refuted the U.S. assertion that leaders of the United States and China agreed on the goal of North Korea's denuclearization during a recent summit. She dismissed the U.S. statement as "a game of spreading conventional disinformation."

Kim stated that some U.S. officials are still trapped in "escapist and anachronistic dreams." This statement came after the U.S. State Department informed Yonhap News Agency on May 5 that Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping had reaffirmed their shared objective of denuclearizing North Korea during their meeting in Beijing. Kim's remarks were made just before Xi's visit to North Korea, signaling Pyongyang's clear stance on denuclearization. This development suggests that denuclearization may be a limited agenda item during the North Korea-China summit scheduled for May 8-9.

Furthermore, Kim labeled the claim by U.S. Trade Representative Jamiee-Lee Jenks that Presidents Trump and Xi agreed to maintain the goal of denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula during the U.S.-China summit as "a complete fabrication and baseless disinformation." She added, "It may be the hope of some U.S. officials who have an unusually strong obsession with the archaic term 'denuclearization,' but it is not true at all." Kim's comment implies that North Korea may have received explanations regarding this matter from China, hinting at potential communication between the two nations.

Kim also directly criticized the U.S. State Department's decision on May 5 to approve the export of Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM) and related equipment to South Korea. "This is precisely why we are committed to strengthening our self-defense capabilities to ensure national security against the constant arms buildup of hostile nations," she asserted. Kim further argued that "the unwavering strengthening of self-defensive nuclear war deterrence, declared by the head of state, must be unconditionally implemented as an irreversible final conclusion."

She concluded by stating that North Korea's status as a nuclear power is an "absolute, inviolable red line and an undeniable reality, whether anyone recognizes it or not." Kim emphasized, "Nuclear weapons are the most powerful logic in arguments with those who worship power. We will never tolerate any threat or compromise regarding our sovereignty and security."