The United States must formally acknowledge North Korea as a permanent nuclear-armed state, said Kim Yo-jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and a senior official in the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea.

In a statement released on Tuesday by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Kim, who serves as deputy director of the party’s Central Committee, warned that future dialogue with Washington must begin with the recognition of North Korea’s “irreversible status” as a nuclear weapons state.

She emphasized that the current strategic and geopolitical conditions have changed dramatically since the Trump administration’s diplomatic efforts. Therefore, any attempt by the U.S. to revisit past approaches or deny North Korea’s nuclear status “will be flatly rejected.”

Kim also noted that while the personal relationship between Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump was “not bad,” using that bond to pressure Pyongyang into denuclearization would amount to nothing more than an insult. “If the relationship between the leaders is used to push for denuclearization, it is merely a mockery of the other side,” she said.

North Korea, she added, remains open to all necessary options to defend its national interests but recognizes that confrontation between two nuclear powers is not beneficial for either side.

Kim concluded by saying that unless the U.S. accepts the new reality, any future DPRK-U.S. summit will remain merely a “hope” on Washington’s part.

Between 2018 and 2019, Trump met Kim Jong-un three times in unprecedented diplomatic talks aimed at achieving North Korea’s denuclearization in exchange for security guarantees and economic relief. However, the negotiations ultimately collapsed without a lasting agreement.

North Korea is believed to possess around 50 nuclear warheads and maintains that its arsenal is essential for deterrence against perceived threats from the U.S. and South Korea, who frequently conduct joint military drills near its borders.