North Korea Rejects Denuclearization, Calls Nuclear Status ‘Irreversible’

By Staff, Agencies

North Korea has firmly rejected a joint pledge by the US, Japan, and South Korea to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula, calling it a “daydream” and reiterating that its nuclear status is permanent.

Kim Yo-jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, declared that Pyongyang’s nuclear arsenal is an “irreversible” part of its national defense and will never be abandoned.

Her remarks, published by state-run KCNA, stated, “This is our steadfast choice that can never be reversed by any physical strength or sly artifice.”

Her comments came in response to a joint statement made at a NATO meeting in Brussels by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the foreign ministers of Japan and South Korea. The three reaffirmed their commitment to denuclearizing North Korea.

Kim condemned the statement as a direct denial of her country’s sovereignty and labeled it “the most hostile act.” She emphasized that nuclear weapons are vital to deterring external threats and ensuring national security.