Recognition as nuclear state remains key to Kim Jong-un regime, experts say
Kim Yo-jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, declared Wednesday that denuclearization is a “dead concept,” reaffirming Pyongyang’s hard-line stance as renewed calls for disarmament emerge under the second Donald Trump administration in the US.
“Our denuclearization is no more than a delusional fantasy,” Kim said in a statement carried by Rodong Sinmun, an organ of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea. “It is a hostile act to attempt to revive a concept that is already defunct, as it amounts to denying our sovereignty and forcing us to abandon our Constitution and system.”
She added that the only viable path to security in the region lies in “giving up unilateral attempts to alter the current status quo and instead searching for ways to avoid direct confrontation.”
Her comments appeared to come in response to a joint statement released by the foreign ministers of South Korea, the United States and Japan last Thursday, which reaffirmed their commitment to the complete denuclearization of North Korea in line with UN Security Council resolutions.
North Korea has long rejected that goal. On Feb. 18, its Foreign Ministry issued a statement describing the US denuclearization agenda under Trump’s second administration as “shortsighted” and “an outdated and unrealistic plan.”
While the message remains largely unchanged, experts say Kim’s direct involvement adds a new layer of meaning, reflecting Pyongyang’s intent to emphasize its position more forcefully at a time of renewed pressure.
“The message itself is consistent with what North Korea has repeatedly stated — that its nuclear status is tied to national sovereignty and strategic stability,” said Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies.
“But issuing the statement through Kim Yo-jong, especially following the launch of Trump’s second administration and the trilateral foreign ministers’ statement, is a calculated move to reaffirm Pyongyang’s stance with greater authority.”
Lim Eul-chul, a professor at Kyungnam University’s Institute for Far Eastern Studies, interpreted the statement as a high-level political message directed at Trump.
“By declaring denuclearization a dead concept and framing any attempt to revive it as a hostile act, Pyongyang once again highlights how vital the recognition — or denial — of its status as a nuclear-armed state is to the Kim Jong-un regime,” he said.
Lim added that North Korea is also likely factoring in global developments such as the US-China trade dispute and Washington’s mediation efforts in the Ukraine-Russia war.
“With Trump preoccupied by other major crises, Pyongyang may see little room for meaningful engagement and instead focus on entrenching its position to counter what it views as unilateral pressure,” he said.
Meanwhile, Seoul reaffirmed its commitment to the denuclearization of North Korea, calling it a unified goal of the international community as reaffirmed by multiple UN Security Council resolutions.
“The international community's resolve for the North’s complete denuclearization far outweighs Pyongyang’s desire to be recognized as a nuclear power,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement released in response to Kim’s remarks.
The ministry urged the North to immediately halt its unlawful nuclear and missile development, which it said threatens peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and beyond, and to return to the path of denuclearization and dialogue.
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