North Korea Warns U.S. Against Linking Diplomacy to Denuclearization.
Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, issued a sharp warning to the United States on Tuesday, cautioning against any renewed attempts to push Pyongyang toward denuclearization under the guise of diplomatic engagement.
Her remarks followed reports quoting a White House official as saying that former U.S. President Donald Trump remains open to resuming dialogue with the North Korean leader to achieve “complete denuclearization.” The statement was reportedly made to South Korea’s Yonhap news agency over the weekend.
In a response carried by North Korea’s state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Kim Yo Jong reiterated Pyongyang’s stance that it would not accept any attempts to deny its status as a nuclear-armed state.
“Any attempt to deny the position of the DPRK as a nuclear weapons state… will be thoroughly rejected,” she said, using the acronym for North Korea’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
Kim acknowledged the past “not bad” personal relationship between her brother and Trump, who met the North Korean leader three times during his first term in office. However, she warned that this rapport should not be used as a tool for pressuring Pyongyang into disarmament.
“I do not want to deny the fact that the personal relationship between the head of our state and the present U.S. president is not bad,” she said. “But if that is used to serve the purpose of denuclearization, it can be interpreted as nothing but a mockery of the other party.”
She further urged Washington to “face up to the reality” and formally recognize North Korea as a nuclear weapons state if it wishes to pursue meaningful engagement.
Efforts at diplomacy between Washington and Pyongyang have stalled since the collapse of the 2019 Hanoi summit, where the two sides failed to agree on terms for lifting sanctions in exchange for denuclearization steps. Since then, North Korea has accelerated its weapons development, including multiple missile tests and constitutional changes reinforcing its nuclear doctrine.
Trump has in the past touted his “great relationship” with Kim Jong Un and has hinted at reviving talks if re-elected. However, Pyongyang’s latest statement signals it remains firmly opposed to any negotiations centered on denuclearization.
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