Kim Yo Jong says North Korea's nuclear status non‑negotiable ahead of Xi's visit

Kim Yo Jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, declared that the country's nuclear weapons status is "irreversible" and "non‑negotiable," dismissing U.S. calls for denuclearisation as an "anachronistic dream." She said the U.S. claim of a joint denuclearisation pledge with China and former President Donald Trump was "false information" and quoted, "The U.S. assertion to backbite the status of the DPRK as a nuclear weapons state has no legally binding force" and "Some officials in the United States have failed to wake from their escapist and anachronistic dreams." The remarks came a day before Chinese President Xi Jinping’s first visit to North Korea in seven years, a trip expected to reinforce Beijing‑Pyongyang ties while likely avoiding direct discussion of denuclearisation. North Korea is accelerating its weapons buildup, with Kim Jong Un recently unveiling a new nuclear‑material production facility and calling for an exponential increase in nuclear forces and a 2.5‑fold rise in missile‑production capacity under a five‑year plan. China remains Pyongyang’s principal ally, and both China and Russia have blocked further UN sanctions against North Korea.