Trump Ties 'not Bad' But U.s. Must Accept We Are A Nuclear Power, Kim Jong Un's Sister Says

North Korea said Tuesday that while nan narration betwixt its leader Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump is “not bad,” nan United States must judge nan isolated state arsenic a atomic weapons state.

Dismissing nan thought of further talks connected denuclearization, Kim’s powerful sister said that reality has changed since Trump’s first word successful office.

“The twelvemonth 2025 is neither 2018 nor 2019,” Kim Yo Jong, who is believed to speak for her brother, said successful a connection carried by North Korean authorities news agency KCNA.

“The nickname of nan irreversible position of nan DPRK arsenic a atomic weapons authorities and nan difficult truth that its capabilities and geopolitical situation person radically changed should beryllium a prerequisite for predicting and reasoning everything successful nan future,” she said, utilizing nan abbreviation for North Korea’s general name, nan Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

While Kim acknowledged that nan “personal relationship” betwixt Trump and Kim is “not bad,” she said that utilizing it to prosecute North Korea’s denuclearization would beryllium seen arsenic “mockery.”

“If nan U.S. fails to judge nan changed reality and persists successful nan grounded past, nan DPRK-U.S. gathering will stay arsenic a ‘hope’ of nan U.S. side,” she said successful nan statement, which did not mention Trump by name.

President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un successful Singapore successful 2018. Saul Loeb / AFP via Getty Images

Trump, who has often talked astir his “great relationship” pinch Kim, met pinch nan North Korean leader successful personification 3 times and has expressed openness to nan resumption of diplomacy.

Though Trump and Kim signed an statement successful rule connected denuclearization astatine their Singapore acme successful 2018, talks collapsed down nan pursuing twelvemonth aft nan U.S. refused to assistance North Korea sanctions relief.

North Korea has since precocious its atomic and ballistic rocket programs done weapons testing and a security business pinch Russia — changes alluded to by Kim.

The State Department said past period that nan Trump management remained committed to achieving nan “complete denuclearization” of North Korea.

The White House did not instantly reply to an emailed petition for remark overnight. A White House charismatic told Reuters that denuclearization remained nan goal.

The agency of South Korea’s caller president, Lee Jae-myung, said Tuesday that South Korea supports nan thought of renewed U.S.-North Korea talks.

South Korea and nan U.S. “will proceed to prosecute successful adjacent connection and practice connected wide North Korea policy, including nan imaginable resumption of U.S.-North Korea dialogue,” it said successful a statement.

Kim’s connection was her 2nd successful arsenic galore days, aft she rejected efforts astatine outreach by Lee, who is seen arsenic much unfastened to repairing relations pinch nan North than his blimpish predecessor.

“No matter what argumentation is adopted and immoderate connection is made successful Seoul, we person nary liking successful it and location is neither nan logic to meet nor nan rumor to beryllium discussed,” she said successful nan connection Monday.

She besides criticized South Korea’s “blind trust” successful its longtime U.S. confederation and upcoming associated subject exercises that North Korea sees arsenic a rehearsal for invasion.

South Korean Unification Minister Chung Dong-young, who is successful complaint of handling relations pinch nan North, said Monday that he would urge reducing aliases suspending nan U.S.-South Korea drills to beforehand engagement pinch Pyongyang.

The uncommon copy statements from Kim Yo Jong bespeak “North Korea’s intent to return an inaugural successful starring nan speech connected nan Korean Peninsula issue, whether done speech aliases confrontation,” nan Moo-jin, president of nan University of North Korean Studies successful Seoul, told NBC News successful an interview.

The connection to South Korea utilized comparatively mean language, nan said, while nan U.S. connection implied nan imaginable for talks connected atomic arms simplification alternatively than denuclearization, suggesting North Korea is trying to gauge nan consequence from some countries.

The truth that Kim acknowledged nan narration betwixt Trump and her relative “suggests some a desire to forestall further deterioration of nan business and a imaginable awesome for different summit,” nan said.