North Korea dismisses U.S. intent to resume diplomacy on denuclearisation 2025

The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un dismissed the U.S.’s intent to resume diplomacy on North Korea’s denuclearization, saying on Tuesday (July 29, 2025) the North flatly opposes any attempt to deny its position as a nuclear weapons state.

In his second term, U.S. President Donald Trump has bragged of his personal ties with Kim Jong Un and expressed hopes of restarting nuclear diplomacy between them. Their high-stakes diplomacy in 2018-19 unraveled due to disputes over U.S.-led sanctions against North Korea. Kim has since executed weapons tests to modernize and expand his nuclear arsenal.

In a statement carried by state media, Kim Yo Jong said she doesn’t deny the personal relationship between her brother and Trump “is not bad.” But she said if their personal relations are to serve the purpose of North Korea’s denuclearization, North Korea would view it as “nothing but a mockery.”

North Korea 2025

She said it was worth considering that the year is 2025, not 2018 or 2019 — which was during Trump’s first term — and any attempt to deny Northern korea as a nuclear weapons state would be rejected.

“If the U.S. fails to accept the changed reality and persists in the failed past, the DPRK- U.S. meeting will remain as a ‘hope’ of the U.S. side,” Kim Yo Jong said, referring to her country by its official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

She said she was responding to reported comments by a U.S. official that Trump is open to talks on denuclearization. She likely was referring to a Saturday article by Yonhap news agency that cited an unidentified White House official as saying Trump “remains open to engaging with Leader Kim to achieve a fully denuclearized North Korea.”

Ms. Kim Yo Jong is a key official on the Central Committee of the North’s ruling Workers’ Party. She handles the country’s relations with South Korea and the United States, and South Korean officials and experts believe she is the North’s second-most powerful person after her brother.

Experts have said previously that North Korea would only be interested in talks on a partial surrender of its nuclear capability in return for sanctions relief and other benefits, while retaining some of its nuclear weapons.

The earlier Trump-Kim diplomacy collapsed after Trump rejected Kim’s calls for extensive sanctions relief in return for dismantling his main nuclear complex, a limited denuclearization step.

On Monday (July 28, 2025), Ms. Kim Yo Jong rebuffed overtures by South Korea’s new liberal government, saying its “blind trust” in the country’s alliance with the U.S. and hostility toward North Korea make it no different from its conservative predecessor.

Her comments imply that North Korea — now preoccupied with its expanding cooperation with Russia — sees no need to resume diplomacy with South Korea anytime soon.

Amid renewed signals from Washington aiming to restart talks with Pyongyang, North Korea has delivered an unequivocal message: denuclearisation discussions are off the table—unless the U.S. radically alters its stance.

A Mockery, Not an Invitation

In late July 2025, Kim Yo Jong—the powerful sister of leader Kim Jong Un—responded sharply to reports suggesting President Donald Trump remained open to resuming negotiations over North Korea’s denuclearisation. While she acknowledged that the personal rapport between her brother and Trump “is not bad,” she emphasized that if this relationship is leveraged for talks aimed at denuclearisation, it becomes “nothing but a mockery” of North Korea. She made it clear that unless the U.S. accepts the “changed reality,” namely the North’s status as a nuclear weapons state, any potential DPRK-U.S. meeting will merely remain a “hope” of the U.S. side.朝日新聞mintThe DiplomatIndia Today

Denuclearisation? It’s Outdated, Says Pyongyang

This comes against a backdrop of Pyongyang’s broader rejection of denuclearisation. In February 2025, North Korea’s Foreign Ministry called the U.S.-led trio’s pledge for complete denuclearisation—signed by the U.S., South Korea, and Japan—as “outdated” and “absurd.” According to state media, these nuclear weapons serve as a rightful means of self-defense, enshrined by North Korea’s constitution—prompting continued strengthening of its nuclear force.ReutersArms Control AssociationCNAUPIKathmandu Post

Shifting Ground: From Diplomacy to Entrenchment

North Korea’s hardline stance is rooted in the belief that the geopolitical landscape has dramatically shifted since the early Trump era of 2018–2019. The North has now legally codified its nuclear status and positioned its weapons as non-negotiable. Its constitution and party directives enshrine the arsenal as a core national asset.The DiplomatArms Control AssociationFinancial TimesAP NewsReuters

Moreover, Pyongyang has increasingly aligned with Russia—reinforcing its strategic posture and distancing itself from U.S. and South Korean overtures. It continues to dismiss any South Korean diplomatic initiatives as illusory and superficial.ReutersPoliticoAP News

What This Means for Diplomacy: A Roadblock Ahead

• No Denuclearisation Without Recognition: North Korea now demands explicit acceptance of its nuclear-armed status before even considering talks.

• Diplomatic Strategy Must Pivot: Traditional disarmament proposals are no longer viable. Any engagement would require embracing arms control frameworks rather than denuclearisation.

• Geopolitical Context Matters: Pyongyang’s growing ties with Russia and its rewriting of constitutional nuclear doctrine alter the dynamics in ways Washington must reckon with.

• U.S.–South Korea–Japan Nexus Remains Crucial: The allied front aiming for denuclearisation is increasingly at odds with Pyongyang’s posture, creating a chasm that won’t close without strategic recalibration.

Conclusion: A New Diplomatic Reality

North Korea has drawn a red line: accepting its nuclear status isn’t a bargaining chip—it’s the precondition. In 2025, Kim Yo Jong’s remarks make clear that merely reviving personal links—like those between her brother and Trump—is insufficient if underlying policy expectations remain unchanged. Diplomacy, as conceived in prior summits, may have shifted from possibility to illusion.

As long as the U.S. insists on denuclearisation, Pyongyang views any diplomatic offer as “mockery.” The international community is at a crossroads. Either Washington and its allies adapt their approach—perhaps considering arms control or coexistence frameworks—or the cycle of mistrust and stalemate will persist, with North Korea deeply entrenched in its defiant posture.

Let me know if you’d like a deeper dive into how this shift affects regional security, arms-control theories, or what multilateral approaches might still be on the table.