North Korea Rejects Denuclearisation Calls from ASEAN Forum

North Korea on Monday rejected calls from the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) for the complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula, labelling the effort as ‘foolish’. Pyongyang also asserted that its status as a nuclear weapons state is ‘final and irreversible’. In a statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Kim Yo Jong condemned the forum’s chair statement issued after a recent meeting of ARF foreign ministers in the Philippines. Kim, a senior official of the ruling Workers’ Party and sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, accused the forum of adopting a ‘hostile attitude’. She claimed it supported the United States’ stance on denuclearisation while ignoring North Korea’s constitution, which establishes the country as a nuclear weapons state. ‘The act of the US and its vassal states to change the status of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea as a nuclear weapons state … is nothing more than a foolish attempt,’ Kim was quoted as saying by KCNA. Kim stated that the concept of ‘denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula’ has lost its meaning, both practically and conceptually. She described the continued calls for denuclearisation as a ‘foolish and absurd wild dream’. Kim said the forum should instead play its role in promoting regional peace and security. She stressed that the nuclear deterrent remains the ‘primary shield’ for protecting national sovereignty. Kim also vowed that North Korea would continue to strengthen its nuclear capabilities ‘without the slightest stagnation’. Meanwhile, in its chair statement, the ASEAN Regional Forum reaffirmed its support for the complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula. The forum also expressed concern over North Korea’s continued development of nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programmes. The ASEAN Regional Forum currently consists of 28 members, including the 11 countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and various partners in the Asia Pacific region and beyond, with the United Kingdom as the newest member.