North Korea declares nuclear program non‑negotiable ahead of Xi Jinping’s visit

Kim Jo Dzong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, announced that the country's nuclear program is not subject to any negotiations and will not be abandoned. She dismissed U.S. statements that a recent meeting between President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping resulted in a joint commitment to denuclearise the Korean Peninsula, calling those claims false.

The declaration was made just before Xi Jinping’s scheduled visit to Pyongyang, his first trip to the isolated state in seven years. The visit underscores China’s role as North Korea’s principal diplomatic and economic ally. Despite United Nations resolutions prohibiting it, North Korea has incorporated its nuclear‑weapon status into its constitution and continues to expand its nuclear and ballistic‑missile capabilities.