Why North Korea issued twin nuclear warnings to US, South Korea
In rare twin statements, Kim Jong-un’s powerful sister dismissed the idea of US outreach and demanded ‘nuclear weapons state’ recognition
“Any attempt to deny the position of the DPRK as a nuclear weapons state … will be thoroughly rejected,” she said in a statement to state media, referring to the North by the initials of its official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
While noting the “personal relationship” between her brother and Trump was “not bad”, Kim warned that it should not be used “to serve the purpose of denuclearisation” in any future talks. Should the US adopt such a stance, “it can be interpreted as nothing but a mockery of the other party”, she added, demanding that Washington recognise North Korea as a “nuclear weapons state”.