Kim Yo Jong Reaffirms North Korea's Nuclear Program is Non-Negotiable Ahead of Xi Jinping's Visit

(Seoul, 7th, Combined Foreign Reports) Yonhap News Agency reported today that Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, stated that North Korea's nuclear program is non-negotiable. Kim Yo Jong's statement comes on the eve of Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to North Korea.

According to combined reports from AFP and Reuters, Kim Yo Jong said in a statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) that "our status as a nuclear weapons state is non-negotiable" and that North Korea "will never tolerate any threats."

North Korea has long asserted its right to possess nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles, enshrining its nuclear status in its constitution in 2023. Such programs are prohibited under UN Security Council sanctions. However, North Korea this week publicly unveiled a new uranium enrichment facility, and Kim Jong Un, while inspecting a large military factory, ordered a 2.5-fold increase in missile production capacity within the next five years.

Analysts say the public unveiling of the new nuclear facility is intended to strengthen North Korea's negotiating leverage at the upcoming Xi-Kim summit and to provide justification for accelerating nuclear proliferation.

Kim Yo Jong's statement is significant as she is considered a key figure in North Korea's external communications and foreign policy. The statement was issued just before Xi Jinping's visit to North Korea. North Korean state media reported that Xi Jinping will arrive on the 8th and stay until the 9th.

North Korea is currently under heavy international sanctions and is one of the most diplomatically isolated countries in the world. China is North Korea's most important political and economic pillar.

The trip to North Korea will be Xi Jinping's first official overseas visit this year, coming shortly after US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Beijing.