Kim Yo-jong, Deputy Director of North Korea’s Workers’ Party Central Committee, recently condemned the Group of Seven (G7) summit’s joint statement on North Korea’s complete denuclearization. She reaffirmed the country’s determination to maintain its nuclear arsenal.
In a statement released through the Korean Central News Agency, Kim said that at the G7 leaders’ meeting in France, Western countries, led by the U.S., unleashed baseless political accusations against North Korea while rehashing their outdated demands for denuclearization.
Kim asserted that the G7, which is primarily responsible for undermining global peace, security, and the international non-proliferation regime, has no right to discuss or challenge North Korea’s sovereign choices. She expressed strong disapproval of the G7’s overreach, stating that such actions directly violate North Korea’s constitution and must be firmly rejected in the strongest terms.
She argued that nuclear weapons, by their very nature, possess destructive power. In the hands of the unjust, they become tools of oppression against humanity. However, when wielded by the just, they serve as an unparalleled deterrent against injustice.
Kim continued that it has acquired nuclear capabilities to protect ourselves from persistent nuclear threats from our adversaries. It’s crucial to understand that the nuclear arsenal should only concern those who seek to harm us. This perspective is essential when examining the illogical nature of claims about the nuclear threat.
She emphasized that nuclear possession is a core interest that it must uphold, and denuclearization is a non-negotiable red line. Under no circumstances should anyone attempt to challenge the fundamental interests of a nuclear-armed state, as doing so would be a catastrophic mistake.
Previously, the G7 leaders had expressed their commitment to denuclearization on Wednesday in a statement on geopolitical issues. They declared that it expresses deep concern over North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs and reaffirm the commitment to achieving the complete denuclearization of North Korea in accordance with United Nations (UN) Security Council resolutions.