AdvertisementAdvertisementEast AsiaKim Yo Jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, delivers a speech during a national meeting in Pyongyang, North Korea, on Aug 10, 2022. (File photo: AP/Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service)27 Jul 2026 06:53AM Bookmark Bookmark WhatsApp Telegram Facebook Twitter Email LinkedInAdd CNA as a trusted source to help Google better understand and surface our content in search results.Read a summary of this article on FAST.Get bite-sized news via a newcards interface. Give it a try.Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FASTFAST SEOUL: The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attacked the bloc of Southeast Asian nations on Monday (Jul 27) for seeking a denuclearised Korean peninsula, blasting the position as "stupid and foolish".At its annual regional forum last week, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (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 weapons 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.Kim's sister Kim Yo Jong said in a statement carried by state news outlet KCNA that she expressed "strong dissatisfaction with the forum's undisguised hostile attitude of going along with the US trumpeting about 'denuclearisation'" and ignoring North Korea's constitution.Show MoreShow LessKim Jong Un says North Korea’s nuclear status is irreversible, threatens South KoreaNorth Korea vows boost to nuclear buildup, military intelligence"It is a failure in strategic thinking and logic and a manifestation of a stupid and foolish wild dream to still adhere to the 'denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula' which had already lost its meaning conceptually and practically," she said.ASEAN should guard against "being misused as a hired mouthpiece for the US", she added.In June, Kim Yo Jong - a key player in the North's communications and foreign policy - said in a statement that North Korea's nuclear weapons programme is "the line of no retreat".Pyongyang has repeatedly declared itself an "irreversible" nuclear state since Kim Jong Un's 2019 summit with US President Donald Trump collapsed over the scope of denuclearisation and sanctions relief.Source: AFP/fhNewsletterWeek in ReviewSubscribe to our Chief Editor’s Week in ReviewOur chief editor shares analysis and picks of the week's biggest news every Saturday.NewsletterMorning BriefSubscribe to CNA’s Morning BriefAn automated curation of our top stories to start your day.Sign up for our newslettersGet our pick of top stories and thought-provoking articles in your inboxSubscribe hereGet the CNA appStay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best storiesDownload hereGet WhatsApp alertsJoin our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat appJoin hereAlso worth readingContent is loading...Expand to read the full storyGet bite-sized news via a newcards interface. Give it a try.Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FASTFAST