Intro:
Sister of North Korean leader says Pyongyang’s nuclear status is irreversible and nonnegotiable as Chinese leader begins 2-day trip Monday.
SEOUL
Ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s highly anticipated state visit to Pyongyang, Kim Yo-jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, declared that the nation’s status as a nuclear-armed state is “absolutely irreversible” and entirely non-negotiable.
Her remarks, published by the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), called the nuclear weapons program a “line of no retreat.” Political analysts view the statement as a strategic warning to Beijing that North Korea’s nuclear arsenal will not be open for discussion during the upcoming bilateral summit.
President Xi is scheduled to visit North Korea from June 8 to 9 at the formal invitation of Kim Jong-un. This two-day visit marks Xi’s first trip to the country in seven years, following his last visit in 2019. The two leaders last met in Beijing during China’s Victory Day parade, an event also attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Kim Yo-jong fiercely dismissed recent statements from Washington, which claimed that US President Donald Trump and Xi Jinping had reaffirmed their shared goal of a denuclearized Korean Peninsula during their summit in Beijing. Accusing Washington of spreading “false information,” she asserted that Pyongyang possesses accurate details regarding the US-China talks and urged the United States to abandon its “daydream” of North Korean denuclearization.
The timing of the diplomatic rhetoric is highly deliberate. Just days prior, KCNA released photographs of Kim Jong-un inspecting a newly launched nuclear-material production facility, showcasing the country’s advanced capabilities in fissile material production.
Additionally, the summit takes place amid rapidly strengthening ties between Pyongyang and Moscow under a 2024 mutual defense pact, as well as the 65th anniversary of the China-North Korea Treaty of Friendship. Meanwhile, regional tensions continue to rise as Washington and Seoul fast-track talks to help South Korea build its own nuclear-powered attack submarines by the mid-2030s to counter the North’s mounting military threats.
