North Korean official Kim Yo Jong condemned a G7 call for the country’s denuclearization, saying North Korea’s nuclear weapons status is protected by its constitution and cannot be reversed.
Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and director of the General Affairs Department of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea, said demands for denuclearization violate North Korea’s sovereignty and ignore what she described as irreversible political and security realities.
The remarks, reported on June 18 by South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency and citing North Korean state media KCNA, followed a joint statement in which G7 leaders expressed concern over North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
According to Yonhap, Kim dismissed those calls and said North Korea’s nuclear status was no longer subject to negotiation.
Denuclearisation is the “line of no retreat that can never be crossed,” Kim was quoted as saying. She added that any attempt to undermine the interests of a nuclear-armed state would amount to “the worst option of inviting disaster.”
Kim also said Pyongyang’s nuclear arsenal serves as a defensive deterrent against what she described as ongoing nuclear threats from hostile countries.
She called the weapons a “cornerstone for ensuring peace” and said criticism of North Korea’s nuclear program was outdated and ineffective.
Abductions Issue
G7 leaders also urged North Korea to resolve the long-running abduction issue involving Japanese citizens and called for greater international cooperation against North Korean cybercrime and cryptocurrency theft.
“We urge North Korea to resolve the abductions issue immediately,” the leaders said.
North Korea admitted in 2002 that it had abducted Japanese nationals but maintains that some died and others returned home. Japan disputes those claims and says some victims may still be alive in North Korea.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has made resolving the issue a priority. In November 2025, she said her government wanted a summit with Kim Jong Un to break the diplomatic deadlock.
Allies Coordinate Policy
Kim Yo Jong’s statement came days after senior officials from the United States, Japan, and South Korea met in Tokyo on June 12.
They reaffirmed the commitment to North Korea’s denuclearization, enforcement of U.N. sanctions, and efforts to curb Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile programs.
The diplomatic exchanges came amid growing military cooperation between Washington and Seoul. The U.S. State Department approved on June 5 a potential $106 million sale of Joint Direct Attack Munitions to South Korea.
U.S. officials said the sale would improve South Korea’s ability to respond to current and future threats and strengthen interoperability with U.S. forces.
Also in early June, Washington approved a separate potential $292 million sale of AIM-120C-8 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles to South Korea. The State Department said the package would help expand South Korea’s air defense capabilities and deter regional aggression.
South Korea seeks to balance military preparedness with diplomatic engagement.
The exchange took place as North Korea expands its nuclear weapons program and increases production of weapons-grade nuclear material.