SEOUL, South Korea — Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, said on Thursday, September 17, 2026, that the country’s nuclear-armed status was absolute and called those hoping for its denuclearization “idiots.”
Okay News reports that Kim Yo Jong made the statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency, declaring that the position of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea as a nuclear weapons state cannot be reversed by anything.
Her statement came during the General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna, where she addressed ongoing international discussions regarding Pyongyang’s atomic arsenal. Kim Yo Jong said the nuclear capabilities make a significant contribution to deterring the outrageous acts of international rogues.
An official at South Korea’s Unification Ministry said Seoul was paying close attention to the remarks, which coincide with United States President Donald Trump expressing willingness to pursue dialogue with Kim Jong Un. Donald Trump stated in August 2026 that North Korea possesses 57 nuclear weapons, while Seoul estimates the arsenal at between 80 and 120.
Previous diplomacy between Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un stalled after their 2019 summit in Hanoi failed to produce an agreement on sanctions relief and nuclear steps, leading Pyongyang to expand its nuclear arsenal in the years following.
