North Korea has broken its silence on President Donald Trump’s return to the White House, issuing a blunt message through Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un. In a statement broadcast by state media, Kim dismissed the possibility of renewed talks focused on denuclearization, calling such efforts “nothing but a mockery,” wrote Politico.
Though she described the relationship between her brother and President Trump as “not bad,” Kim made clear that Pyongyang views past negotiations as outdated and futile. She noted that the country’s nuclear capabilities have grown significantly since the two leaders last met, and warned that any future summit with denuclearization on the agenda would be off the table.
“The DPRK-U.S. meeting will remain as a ‘hope’ of the U.S. side,” she said, referring to North Korea by its official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. Instead, she suggested Washington “seek another way of contact.”
Kim’s comments followed a Yonhap News report citing an unnamed White House official who claimed that President Trump “remains open to engaging with Leader Kim to achieve a fully denuclearized North Korea.” In response, reported Fox News, North Korea’s leadership signaled that such expectations are out of step with the current geopolitical reality.
President Trump and Kim Jong Un met three times during Trump’s first term—historic summits in Singapore, Hanoi, and the Korean Demilitarized Zone. Trump became the first sitting U.S. president to set foot on North Korean soil. Despite the symbolic breakthroughs, the talks failed to yield substantive agreements, and U.S. sanctions remained in place as North Korea retained its nuclear arsenal.
Kim Yo Jong, who serves as a senior figure on the Central Committee of the ruling Workers’ Party, did not completely rule out bilateral engagement with the United States. However, she maintained a firm stance against denuclearization as a precondition.
In a separate development, Trump commemorated the 72nd anniversary of the Korean War armistice on Monday, reflecting on his role in past negotiations. “I was proud to become the first sitting President to cross this Demilitarized Zone into North Korea,” he said. He also reaffirmed the U.S.-South Korea alliance, stating, “Although the evils of communism still persist in Asia, American and South Korean forces remain united in an ironclad alliance to this day.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt reiterated last month that the president is interested in making “progress” on unfinished business from his earlier term—though North Korea’s latest message suggests any return to the previous diplomatic framework is unlikely.
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