North Korean leader Kim Yo Jong has strongly opposed ASEAN’s call to make the Korean Peninsula nuclear weapon-free, dismissing it as unrealistic. The ASEAN Regional Forum had expressed serious concern over North Korea’s nuclear weapons development and emphasized the importance of denuclearization through dialogue. Kim clarified that North Korea’s nuclear policy is an unchangeable foundation of national security and warned ASEAN against becoming a mouthpiece for the United States. 11 Sawan, Seoul (RASS/AFP).
Following ASEAN’s plea to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula, North Korea has sharply criticized the Southeast Asian nations’ organization. Kim Yo Jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and a key official, described ASEAN’s position as “foolish” and “detached from reality.” The ASEAN Regional Forum, held last week, expressed serious concern over North Korea’s ongoing nuclear weapons development and emphasized advancing dialogue aimed at denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
In a statement released through the state news agency KCNA, Kim Yo Jong stated that demanding “nuclear disarmament” disregards North Korea’s constitution, which explicitly recognizes the country as a nuclear power, and reflects a lack of strategic thinking. She asserted that the concept of denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula has become practically and politically meaningless. She also urged ASEAN not to act as a ‘‘mouthpiece’’ for the United States. Moreover, she declared that North Korea’s nuclear policy will never change under any circumstances, as it forms an unalterable basis for national security.
Despite United Nations Security Council sanctions, North Korea has long continued its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs. In 2023, Pyongyang amended its constitution to formally recognize itself as a nuclear power. A 2019 summit between then-US President Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un failed to reach agreements on denuclearization and sanctions relief. Since then, North Korea has repeatedly asserted its position as an ‘‘unchangeable nuclear power.’’
