Kim Yo Jong calls nuclear program 'absolutely non-negotiable' as Xi Jinping prepares to visit Pyongyang

Kim Yo Jong declares nuclear status non-negotiable

North Korea's Kim Yo Jong, the sister and key adviser to leader Kim Jong Un, issued a forceful rejection of denuclearization on Sunday, calling the country's nuclear weapons program "absolutely non-negotiable." She warned that Pyongyang "will not tolerate any threats" and described US-led efforts as "anachronistic dreams." The statement was published in the ruling party newspaper Rodong Sinmun and carried by state media KCNA.

Our status as a nuclear power is absolutely non-negotiable. We will not tolerate any threats.

Kim dismissed a May White House statement that President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping had reaffirmed a shared goal of denuclearizing North Korea, calling it "false information." She said the US "assertion to backbite the status of the DPRK as a nuclear weapons state has no legally binding force." Her remarks come as Xi Jinping prepares to visit Pyongyang on Monday, his first trip in nearly seven years.

Hostile forces should give up their daydreams of denuclearization.

US remains open to unconditional dialogue

On Friday, a US State Department spokesperson told Yonhap News that Washington is open to dialogue with North Korea "without preconditions" and continues to pursue the goal of complete denuclearization. The statement followed Xi's Beijing meeting with Trump, where the two leaders reportedly aligned on the denuclearization objective. Kim Yo Jong's blunt response underscores the chasm between US diplomatic offers and Pyongyang's entrenched nuclear posture.

Xi Jinping visits Pyongyang for the first time since 2019

Chinese President Xi Jinping is scheduled to arrive in Pyongyang on Monday for a summit with Kim Jong Un. China's foreign ministry said the two leaders will discuss bilateral relations and issues of common concern. China remains North Korea's only formal treaty ally, linked by a mutual defense pact dating to 1961. Analysts say Xi will likely avoid directly pressing denuclearization and instead offer economic assistance, aiming to reassert Beijing's influence over a Pyongyang that has tilted toward Moscow in recent years.

Kim Jong Un orders 'exponential' nuclear expansion

Kim Jong Un has accelerated the country's nuclear and missile buildup in recent weeks. State media reported he visited a new uranium enrichment facility last week and called for an "exponential" increase in the nuclear arsenal. On Saturday, he toured a major weapons factory and ordered missile production capacity to be increased by 2.5 times over a five-year plan period. North Korea enshrined its nuclear status in the constitution in 2023 and views its arsenal as essential insurance against regime change, a stance reinforced by recent US military interventions.

North Korea's growing ties with Russia and international sanctions

While deepening alignment with Russia, North Korea has sent troops and conventional weapons to support Moscow's war in Ukraine, receiving economic and other assistance in return. The country remains under sweeping UN sanctions over its nuclear and missile programs, but recent obstruction by China and Russia in the Security Council has blocked additional sanctions and ended the mandate of a UN expert panel monitoring enforcement. Pyongyang frames its nuclear deterrent as a "self-defensive" measure, but the international community, led by Washington and Seoul, demands full denuclearization as a precondition for sanctions relief.