‘Stupid and foolish’: Kim Jong Un’s sister unleashes on Asean over ‘denuclearisation’ call
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrives for the 16th East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on the sidelines of the Asean Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Pasay, Metro Manila on July 23, 2026. — AFP pic
Summary
In response to ASEAN's call for a denuclearized Korean Peninsula, Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, criticized the Southeast Asian bloc for what she termed a "stupid and foolish" stance.
ASEAN, during its recent regional forum, voiced concern over North Korea's ongoing nuclear activities and emphasized the need for dialogue to achieve peace and stability.
North Korea insists on its right to maintain nuclear weapons, a position enshrined in its constitution, despite UN sanctions.
Kim Yo Jong accused ASEAN of acting as a mouthpiece for the US and reiterated North Korea's irreversible commitment to its nuclear program.
First Published: Monday, 27 Jul 2026 9:11 AM MYT
Last Modified: Monday, 27 Jul 2026 9:30 AM MYT
SEOUL, July 27 — The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attacked the bloc of Southeast Asian nations on Monday for seeking a denuclearised Korean peninsula, blasting the position as “stupid and foolish.”
At its annual regional forum last week, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) expressed “grave concern” over Pyongyang’s ongoing nuclear weapons development and stressed the importance of dialogue “to realise lasting peace and stability in a denuclearised Korean Peninsula.”
North Korea has long insisted on its right to nuclear weapon and ballistic missile programmes, although they are forbidden under the terms of UN Security Council sanctions. It enshrined its nuclear status in its constitution in 2023.
Kim’s sister Kim Yo Jong said in a statement carried by state news outlet KCNA that she expressed “strong dissatisfaction with the forum’s undisguised hostile attitude of going along with the US trumpeting about ‘denuclearisation’” and ignoring North Korea’s constitution.
“It is a failure in strategic thinking and logic and a manifestation of a stupid and foolish wild dream to still adhere to the ‘denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula’ which had already lost its meaning conceptually and practically,” she said.
Asean should guard against “being misused as a hired mouthpiece for the US,” she added.
In June, Kim Yo Jong – a key player in the North’s communications and foreign policy – said in a statement that North Korea’s nuclear weapons programme is “the line of no retreat”.
Pyongyang has repeatedly declared itself an “irreversible” nuclear state since Kim Jong Un’s 2019 summit with US President Donald Trump collapsed over the scope of denuclearisation and sanctions relief. — AFP
Last Modified: Monday, 27 Jul 2026 9:30 AM MYT
SEOUL, July 27 — The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attacked the bloc of Southeast Asian nations on Monday for seeking a denuclearised Korean peninsula, blasting the position as “stupid and foolish.”
At its annual regional forum last week, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) expressed “grave concern” over Pyongyang’s ongoing nuclear weapons development and stressed the importance of dialogue “to realise lasting peace and stability in a denuclearised Korean Peninsula.”
North Korea has long insisted on its right to nuclear weapon and ballistic missile programmes, although they are forbidden under the terms of UN Security Council sanctions. It enshrined its nuclear status in its constitution in 2023.
Kim’s sister Kim Yo Jong said in a statement carried by state news outlet KCNA that she expressed “strong dissatisfaction with the forum’s undisguised hostile attitude of going along with the US trumpeting about ‘denuclearisation’” and ignoring North Korea’s constitution.
“It is a failure in strategic thinking and logic and a manifestation of a stupid and foolish wild dream to still adhere to the ‘denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula’ which had already lost its meaning conceptually and practically,” she said.
Asean should guard against “being misused as a hired mouthpiece for the US,” she added.
In June, Kim Yo Jong – a key player in the North’s communications and foreign policy – said in a statement that North Korea’s nuclear weapons programme is “the line of no retreat”.
Pyongyang has repeatedly declared itself an “irreversible” nuclear state since Kim Jong Un’s 2019 summit with US President Donald Trump collapsed over the scope of denuclearisation and sanctions relief. — AFP
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