Kim Yo-jong Calls Expectations of North Korea Giving Up Nuclear Weapons “Foolish”

Kim Yo-jong, a senior North Korean official, has rejected expectations that Pyongyang will abandon its nuclear weapons, describing such hopes as foolish. Her comments reinforce North Korea’s longstanding position that its nuclear arsenal is essential to national security and regime survival. The statement comes as international efforts to persuade the country to denuclearize remain stalled. It also signals that future negotiations, if resumed, are likely to focus on managing nuclear risks and reducing tensions rather than achieving complete nuclear disarmament.