Kim’s sister says only ‘idiots’ believe N. Korea will give up nukes

Kim Yo Jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, asserted during the IAEA general conference in Vienna that North Korea's nuclear arsenal is "absolute" and cannot be reversed. She dismissed those hoping for the country's denuclearization as "idiots." North Korea has legally established its nuclear weapons status as permanent and irreversible, with Pyongyang claiming to have between 80 and 120 nuclear weapons, according to Seoul.

Kim Yo Jong's statement, carried by the official Korean Central News Agency, came during the ongoing IAEA general conference in Vienna, where she described the notion of denuclearizing North Korea as "familiar silly talk." She emphasized that the hostile forces' denial of the DPRK's permanent nuclear position is futile, as the reality of the country's nuclear arsenal being physically and legally settled cannot be altered.

The North's nuclear arsenal has continued to expand since the collapse of a second summit between Kim Jong Un and former US President Donald Trump in 2019, over what Pyongyang would receive in return for denuclearization efforts.