TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - North Korea on Monday rejected the ASEAN Regional Forum’s (ARF) call for the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, calling the appeal a "foolish attempt." Pyongyang also asserted that its status as a nuclear-armed state is "final and irreversible."
In a statement carried by the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, Kim Yo Jong, criticized the chairperson's statement issued following the recent ARF foreign ministers' meeting in the Philippines.
Kim, a senior official in the ruling Workers' Party of Korea, accused the forum of adopting a "hostile attitude." She stated that the forum aligns with the United States' position on denuclearization while disregarding North Korea's constitution, which formally defines the country as a nuclear-armed state.
"The act of the US and its vassal forces to change the status of the DPRK as a nuclear weapons state ... is nothing but a foolish attempt," Kim said, as quoted by KCNA.
Kim argued that the concept of "denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula" has lost all meaning, both in practice and in theory. She described persistent calls for denuclearization as a "stupid and foolish wild dream."
Kim stressed that the forum ought to focus on fulfilling its mandate to promote regional peace and security. She emphasized that nuclear deterrence serves as the "ultimate shield" to safeguard national sovereignty.
Kim also pledged that North Korea will steadily expand its nuclear capabilities "without a momentary stagnation."
Meanwhile, the ARF chairperson’s statement reaffirmed the forum's commitment to supporting the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. The forum also voiced deep concern over North Korea's ongoing development of nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs.
The ASEAN Regional Forum currently consists of 28 members, including the 11 Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member states and various global and Asia-Pacific partners, with the United Kingdom as its newest member.
Other participating members include the United States, Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, China, India, Japan, Mongolia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, North Korea, South Korea, Russia, Sri Lanka, and the European Union.
Read: ASEAN Grants Sectoral Dialogue Partner Status to Germany, Qatar
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