Top North Korean official blasts Asean for calling for denuclearisation

SEOUL : 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, 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.

…