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Top North Korea official blasts ASEAN for urging denuclearisation

From The Straits Times · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • North Korea's Kim Yo Jong strongly criticized ASEAN for its call for denuclearization, labeling it "stupid and foolish."
  • ASEAN had expressed grave concern over Pyongyang's nuclear program and urged dialogue for a denuclearized Korean Peninsula.
  • Kim Yo Jong accused ASEAN of having a hostile attitude and being a "hired mouthpiece for the U.S.," asserting North Korea's status as an "irreversible" nuclear state.

Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, has launched a scathing attack on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) for its persistent calls for denuclearization. In a statement released on July 27, she denounced the bloc's position as "stupid and foolish."

stupid and foolish

— Kim Yo JongDescribing ASEAN's call for a denuclearized Korean peninsula.

During its annual regional forum on July 23, ASEAN voiced "grave concern" regarding North Korea's ongoing nuclear weapons development. The bloc emphasized the importance of dialogue aimed at achieving "lasting peace and stability in a denuclearised Korean Peninsula." This stance directly challenges Pyongyang's long-held assertion of its right to nuclear and ballistic missile programs, which are prohibited under UN Security Council sanctions.

strong dissatisfaction with the forum’s undisguised hostile attitude of going along with the US trumpeting about ‘denuclearisation’

— Kim Yo JongExpressing her reaction to ASEAN's statement on North Korea's nuclear program.

Kim Yo Jong, a key figure in North Korea's foreign policy, expressed "strong dissatisfaction" with what she described as ASEAN's "undisguised hostile attitude." She accused the bloc of aligning with U.S. rhetoric on denuclearization while disregarding North Korea's constitutional status as a nuclear state, a status enshrined in 2023. She further criticized the focus on denuclearization as a "failure in strategic thinking and logic" and a "stupid and foolish wild dream."

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 JongCriticizing the continued emphasis on denuclearization by ASEAN.

Adding to her criticism, Kim Yo Jong warned ASEAN against being "misused as a hired mouthpiece for the U.S." This sharp rebuke underscores North Korea's increasing defiance and its rejection of international pressure regarding its nuclear program. Pyongyang has consistently declared itself an "irreversible" 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.

being misused as a hired mouthpiece for the U.S.

— Kim Yo JongWarning ASEAN against aligning with U.S. policy on North Korea.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by The Straits Times. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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