North Korean leader's sister reiterates 'absolute' nuclear-armed status

Missiles are being fired during a drill in Wonsan, Kangwon Province on Sept. 12, 2026, in this photo released by the state-run [North] Korean Central News Agency two days later.

SEOUL, September 17 (AJP) - Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Thursday reiterated that Pyongyang's status as a nuclear-armed state is "absolute" and cannot be reversed by any means.

In a statement carried by the state-run [North] Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Kim dismissed renewed intonational calls for North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons program, calling them "all noise."

She added that no matter how "desperately" the IAEA and Western countries held meetings and discussed denuclearization, such efforts would have no effect on North Korea's determination to take all necessary measures to defend its supreme interests, referring to them as "familiar rhetoric" that repeats every year.

She also warned that anyone seeking to change the country's current status as a nuclear-armed state should recognize that such efforts would be "futile."

Her remarks came days after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)'s 70th General Conference opened in Vienna, Austria earlier this week, where member states including South Korea and several European countries voiced concern over North Korea's growing nuclear arsenal.

They urged Pyongyang to denuclearize in a "complete, verifiable and irreversible" manner in line with the non-proliferation treaty and relevant U.N. Security Council resolutions.

Meanwhile, the IAEA's annual gathering wraps up on Friday after a weeklong discussion of a range of issues in the nuclear field among high-ranking officials and representatives from member states.

AJP Takeaways

- Kim Yo-jong reiterated North Korea's nuclear-armed status is "absolute" and said it cannot be reversed, rejecting international calls for Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear weapons program.

- Kim Yo-jong dismissed denuclearization efforts by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Western countries as recurring "familiar rhetoric," saying they would not affect North Korea's determination to defend its stated national interests.

- The remarks followed the International Atomic Energy Agency's 70th General Conference in Vienna, where South Korea and several European countries raised concerns about North Korea's growing nuclear arsenal and called for complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization in line with the Non-Proliferation Treaty and relevant U.N. Security Council resolutions.