Kim Yo Jang said Pyongyang's emergence as a nuclear power is "absolutely non-negotiable."08:20, 07 Jun 2026Updated 08:44, 07 Jun 2026The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has dismissed US demands for denuclearisation, and says the country will not back down from developing nuclear weapons under and circumstances.‌"Our status as a nuclear power is absolutely non-negotiable," said Kim Yo Jang, Kim's sister and a senior figure in the regime.‌"The policy of continuously strengthening self-defensive nuclear war deterrence, as declared by the head of state, is an irreversible and final conclusion that must be executed unconditionally," she added.‌"The U.S. assertion to backbite the status of the DPRK as a nuclear weapons state has no legally binding force and no one will be bound by the U.S. unilateral rhetoric."Her comments come a day before Chinese leader Xi Jinping is set to make his first visit to North Korea in seven years.‌Dismissing a report from the White House that claimed Donald Trump and Xi had agreed to denuclearise North Korea as "false information," Kim claimed that North Korea's emergence as a nuclear state is "irreversible.""Some officials in the United States have failed to wake from their escapist and anachronistic dream," she said.North Korea has been focusing on enlarging its nuclear arsenal since Kim Jong Un's high-stakes diplomacy with Trump collapsed in 2019. Experts say the North Korean leader wants an international recognition as a nuclear state so that he could demand lifting of international economic sanctions on North Korea.‌During a visit to a new nuclear materials production plant last week, Kim Jong Un said North Korea would bolster the country's nuclear forces "at an exponential rate." On Sunday, North Korea's state media reported Kim Jong Un visited a weapons factory the previous day and called for increasing the country's missile production capacity 2.5 times under a five-year plan period.In her statement, Kim Yo Jong accused the U.S. and South Korea of pushing for "ceaseless arms build-ups," saying her brother's push for "steadily beefing up the nuclear war deterrent for self-defense" is "an irreversible final conclusion to be carried out unconditionally."Article continues belowAnalysts say Xi's visit to North Korea is largely meant to reassert China's influence over North Korea, whose foreign policy priority has shifted to Russia in recent years. They say Xi will likely refrain from directly raising the denuclearization issue and offer economic assistance programs during his meeting with Kim Jong Un.North Korea has sent troops and conventional weapons to Russia to back its war efforts against Ukraine. South Korean and U.S. officials say North Korea has received economic and other assistance from Russia in return.This is a Breaking News story. You’ll be more likely to see our stories when any big news breaks in future by simply by clicking this link . You can also join The Mirror’s WhatsApp Community or follow us on Google News , Flipboard , Apple News , TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads - or visit The Mirror homepage .