North Korea reaffirms nuclear programme as non‑negotiable

Kim Yo‑jong, senior official and sister of leader Kim Jong un, reiterated that North Korea's nuclear weapons programme is a “red line” that cannot be reversed or negotiated. The statement was issued on 6 June, a day before Chinese President Xi Jinping’s scheduled visit to Pyongyang, and was framed as a signal that nuclear issues are not on the agenda of the Korean‑Chinese talks.

Kim Yo‑jong also rejected recent U.S. claims that the United States and China had reaffirmed a denuclearisation goal at a summit, accusing Washington of spreading falsehoods. She cited the United States’ decision to sell precision‑guided JDAM bombs to South Korea as evidence of ongoing hostile military buildup, which North Korea says justifies its own defence enhancements. The Korean state media also highlighted that the country’s nuclear material production capacity has doubled over the past five years and that the leadership is pushing for exponential growth of its nuclear arsenal.

The remarks come amid heightened diplomatic activity, with both the United States and China monitoring North Korea’s military developments closely.