North Korea Says It Will Never Give Up Its Nuclear Weapons

(Kim Yo Jong, sister of North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un. Photo Credit: The Korea JoongAng Daily)

Kim Yo Jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, has declared Thursday that her country's nuclear weapons status is final and unchangeable, dismissing those hoping for disarmament as fools.

The statement comes as the North has legally locked in its position as a nuclear weapons state, with leadership insisting the atomic arsenal cannot be reversed.

The US estimates North Korea holds 57 powerful nuclear weapons, though South Korea puts the figure between 80 and 120.

Trump has recently signalled his openness to meeting with Kim, making the timing of Thursday's remarks significant for regional observers.

Speaking at the International Atomic Energy Agency conference in Vienna, Kim Yo Jong said North Korea's nuclear programme serves as a shield against hostile foreign powers.

She dismissed repeated calls for disarmament as pointless, saying anyone who genuinely believed denuclearisation was possible would only be listening to fools.

She stressed that North Korea's nuclear standing is now physically and legally cemented and cannot shift regardless of what other countries say or do.

South Korean officials noted the statement's importance given Trump's recent expressions of willingness to restart talks with Kim Jong Un, with the US president saying last month he plans to meet him later this year.

Trump held three meetings with Kim during his first term, but diplomacy collapsed after their 2019 summit in Hanoi failed to reach agreement on sanctions relief and what the North would offer in return for nuclear cuts.

Since that failed talks, Pyongyang has grown its nuclear arsenal significantly.