North Korea’s status as a nuclear state is final and irreversible, and the republic’s nuclear capability will be continuously strengthened. This was stated by Kim Yo Jong, department director of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea and sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, the Korean Central News Agency reported.

“No matter what anyone says, the status and significance of North Korea’s existence as a responsible nuclear state, which ensures a balance of power and guarantees geopolitical security on the Korean Peninsula and beyond, are final and irreversible. North Korea’s nuclear might will be continuously upgraded without the slightest pause,” she emphasized.

The statement came in response to a document by the chair of the ASEAN Regional Forum, which called for the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. Kim Yo Jong expressed “serious dissatisfaction” with the forum’s position and firmly rejected it.

The department director of the WPK Central Committee emphasized that North Korea’s status as a nuclear state, enshrined in its constitution, cannot be changed “by a single piece of paper that carries no legally binding force.” She described the United States and its satellites’ commitment to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula as “a failure of strategic thinking” and “a foolish dream,” noting that this concept has long lost all meaning in every respect.

“Our position is consistent and clear: nuclear deterrent forces are a reliable shield for the state’s sovereignty and the best guarantee for protecting state power,” Kim Yo Jong concluded.