SEOUL, South Korea — Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, labeled the United States’ denuclearization push an “anachronistic dream,” asserting that North Korea will continue to expand its nuclear arsenal amid U.S.-driven pressure.
The statement was issued a day before Chinese President Xi Jinping is scheduled to visit North Korea for talks with Kim Jong Un, marking his first trip to the country in seven years.
“The United States’ claim that the DPRK is a nuclear weapons state lacks legal basis and cannot be binding under unilateral U.S. rhetoric,” Kim Yo Jong, the senior aide to Kim Jong Un, said, using the DPRK’s official acronym.
She dismissed as “false information” a U.S. statement claiming that Presidents Donald Trump and Xi had agreed on a shared denuclearization goal during their Beijing summit last month.
“Some U.S. officials remain trapped in an escapist, anachronistic dream,” Kim Yo Jong remarked.
Since the collapse of its high‑stakes diplomacy with Trump in 2019, North Korea has prioritized expanding its nuclear arsenal. Analysts note that Kim Jong Un seeks international acknowledgment as a nuclear state to pressure the removal of economic sanctions.
During a recent visit to a new nuclear materials facility, Kim Jong Un declared that North Korea would strengthen its nuclear forces “at an exponential rate.” State media reported that he had toured a weapons factory on Saturday, urging a 2.5‑fold increase in missile production capacity over a five‑year plan.
In her statement, Kim Yo Jong accused the United States and South Korea of promoting “ceaseless arms buildups,” while emphasizing that her brother’s pursuit of “steadily beefing up the nuclear deterrent for self‑defense” represents “an irreversible final conclusion to be pursued unconditionally.”
Analysts contend that Xi’s visit aims to reassert China’s influence over North Korea, whose foreign policy focus has shifted toward Russia in recent years. They anticipate that China will likely avoid directly addressing denuclearization in the talks and may propose economic assistance initiatives.
North Korea has dispatched troops and conventional weapons to Russia to support its war effort against Ukraine. South Korean and U.S. officials report that Russia has provided North Korea with economic and other forms of assistance in return.
