North Korea's influential figure and the sister of leader Kim Jong Un, Kim Yo Jong, has rejected US calls for diplomacy and criticized their condemnation of North Korea's recent spy satellite launch. She has pledged to carry out more satellite launches in defiance of UN resolutions.
During a UN Security Council meeting earlier this week, US Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, described North Korea's satellite launch as "reckless" and "unlawful," as per AP News.
North Korea Rejects US Dialogue Amid Satellite Threats
However, she also reiterated the US offer for dialogue with North Korea, emphasizing that North Korea could choose the timing and topic of such talks. Kim Yo Jong, a senior official in North Korea's leadership, dismissed the US offer and threatened further satellite launches and the development of other weapons.
In a statement carried by state media, Kim Yo Jong asserted that "the sovereignty of an independent state can never be an agenda item for negotiations." She emphasized that North Korea would not negotiate with the US on this matter and would continue exercising its sovereign rights.
North Korea has faced numerous UN Security Council resolutions that prohibit launches involving ballistic technology, including satellite liftoffs and missile tests. Despite these bans, North Korea has argued that it has the sovereign right to launch spy satellites and conduct ballistic missile tests in response to perceived military threats from the US and its allies.
Kim Yo Jong also questioned the US's position, calling the UN Security Council meeting "a gangster-like demand of the US and its followers." She pointed to the presence of US strategic assets in South Korean ports, raising concerns about potential threats posed by these deployments.
The past few years have seen a shift in North Korea's approach to diplomacy. In 2018, Kim Jong Un engaged in high-stakes diplomacy with then-US President Donald Trump, focusing on the future of North Korea's nuclear arsenal. However, the summit diplomacy eventually faltered in 2019 due to disputes over international economic sanctions, according to Voice of America.
Kim Jong Un's Nuclear Modernization Drive
Since then, Kim Jong Un has concentrated on expanding and modernizing North Korea's nuclear capabilities to gain leverage in potential future negotiations.
Kim Jong Un has publicly pledged to introduce various high-tech weapons systems, including spy satellites, to enhance North Korea's ability to monitor rivals' activities and improve precision-guided missile strikes.
North Korea recently claimed to have successfully placed its first military reconnaissance satellite, "Malligyong-1," into orbit. They asserted that the satellite was transmitting images of key US and South Korean sites, although no photographic evidence has been provided to support these claims.
The satellite launch has raised tensions between North and South Korea, leading both sides to take hostile military actions along their heavily fortified border, contrary to their previous agreements.
Kim Yo Jong's statement coincides with North Korean state media's ongoing claims of improved intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities following the satellite launch. However, many experts still need to be convinced about the actual capabilities of North Korea's satellites in producing high-resolution imagery.
The situation highlights North Korea's strategic efforts to challenge the authority of the UN Security Council, particularly by portraying it as influenced by the US Kim Yo Jong's statement aims to establish justifications for evading sanctions by framing the US-controlled platform as unfair.
Kim's statement also indirectly suggests conditions for dialogue with Washington, emphasizing the need for the US to abandon its hostile policy toward North Korea before considering any prospects for future talks, The Korea Herald reported.
Related Article : 12-year-Old Hostage Forced to Watch Oct. 7 Attack Videos, Claims Aunt
