SEOUL — Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, denounced the International Atomic Energy Agency's recent general assembly for addressing denuclearization of Pyongyang, calling it "familiar silly talk," state media KCNA reported Thursday.
She asserted that "The DPRK's position as a nuclear weapons state is absolute which can not reverse with anything," referring to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
The statement aligns with Pyongyang's consistent rejection of denuclearization. North Korea characterizes its nuclear program as a matter of sovereignty and describes denuclearization calls as "external interference."
In June, Kim Yo Jong stated that pursuing a stronger nuclear arsenal was an "irreversible final conclusion" for the country. In January, Kim Jong Un directed the military to maintain and expand nuclear deterrence capabilities following a missile test.
On March 23, the Supreme People's Assembly adopted an amendment mandating automatic nuclear strikes as retaliation for a decapitation attack by a foreign country, further codifying the nation's nuclear doctrine.
South Korea has shifted its strategy away from a "denuclearization-first" approach in its dealings with the North.
