Key facts
- Kim Yo Jong denounced the G7's call for North Korea's denuclearization as a violation of sovereignty.
- She described North Korea's nuclear weapons as a self-defensive deterrent and essential for peace.
- Kim stated denuclearization is an irreversible agenda that cannot be realized.
- Her remarks were a response to a joint statement from G7 leaders at their summit.
- The G7 reaffirmed their commitment to the complete denuclearization of North Korea.
SEOUL, June 18 (Yonhap) -- Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, has condemned a Group of Seven (G7) call for the country's denuclearization, labeling it a violation of sovereignty and an irreversible agenda. In a statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Kim described North Korea's nuclear weapons as a self-defensive deterrent and a cornerstone for ensuring peace, stating that denuclearization is an "irreversibly finalized agenda" that "can never be realized."
Kim's remarks were a response to a joint statement issued by G7 leaders at their summit, where they reaffirmed their commitment to the "complete denuclearization" of North Korea in line with U.N. Security Council resolutions. She warned that anyone attempting to infringe upon North Korea's core interests as a nuclear weapons state would be making "the worst option of inviting disaster."