Trump's 'Will Establish Relations with North' Falls Flat... Kim Jong-un Says "Our Nukes Are for Cutting Out Hostile Forces in Real Combat"

Korean Central News Agency Issues Commentary on the 8th
"Our Nuclear Weapons Are Not Bargaining Chips to Be Exchanged for a Few Coins"
Trump's Offer to "Establish Relations with North Korea" Rendered Meaningless

North Korea emphasized its unwillingness to respond to U.S. President Donald Trump's offer to "establish relations with North Korea." It stated that the nuclear weapons they have built are not for negotiation but are practical weapons.

North Korea reaffirmed its intention not to engage in denuclearization talks on the 8th. Photo by Yonhap News

On the 8th, the Korean Central News Agency released a commentary stating, "Our nuclear weapons are not advertisements seeking anyone's recognition, nor are they bargaining chips to be exchanged for a few coins," emphasizing that they are "immutable practical weapons intended to swiftly eliminate hostile forces that infringe upon the country's sovereignty, endanger the safety of the people, and threaten regional peace."

Regarding the stance of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the European Union (EU), which refuse to recognize North Korea as a nuclear-armed state, the commentary described it as "an absurd sophistry." It further labeled NATO and the EU as "anti-Republic confrontation groups loyal to the United States." Criticizing their statement that North Korea must "completely, verifiably, and irreversibly dismantle its nuclear weapons, existing nuclear programs, all other weapons of mass destruction, and ballistic missile programs," the commentary condemned it as "an outdated outrageous remark," adding that "they are desperately trying to poke their heads into the Korean Peninsula, which is geographically very distant, to stage yet another peace disruption."

It continued, "Currently, the world is enduring bitter days and months of suffering never before experienced in any era due to the peace-disrupting actions of Western forces led by the United States," and stated, "This is precisely why the justification for our policy of strengthening nuclear forces, which knows no limits and leaps forward, is further highlighted."

This came as the second Trump administration reaffirmed its position of pursuing the complete denuclearization of North Korea. In his first U.S.-Japan summit since taking office, President Trump declared, "We will achieve 'peace through strength' across the Indo-Pacific region," and added, "To this end, we will dedicate ourselves to efforts to secure safety and stability on the Korean Peninsula, which began in the first term." Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba also mentioned, "Japan and the United States have confirmed their cooperation for the complete denuclearization of North Korea," suggesting that President Trump agreed with the goal of North Korea's complete denuclearization.