Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, dismissed appeals for dialogue and condemned the United States' criticism of North Korea's recent spy satellite launch. The Associated Press reported on Thursday that Kim Yo Jong declared the country's intent to carry out more launches in defiance of U.N. bans.
Kim’s sister Kim Yo Jong is known to be the second most powerful person in North Korea, after his brother.
“The sovereignty of an independent state can never be an agenda item for negotiations, and therefore, (North Korea) will never sit face to face with the U.S. for that purpose,” Kim Yo Jong said in a statement carried by state media.
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Numerous U.N. Security Council resolutions prohibit North Korea from conducting launches involving ballistic technology, including satellite liftoffs and missile tests. Despite these resolutions, North Korea argues that it possesses sovereign rights to launch spy satellites and test ballistic missiles, citing perceived U.S.-led military threats. The country views joint U.S.-South Korean military exercises as a rehearsal for invasion and responds with its own weapons tests.
During a U.N. Security Council meeting earlier in the week, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield labelled North Korea's satellite launch as a "reckless, unlawful" action that poses a threat to its neighbours. However, she reiterated the U.S. offer for dialogue without preconditions, stating that North Korea "can choose the timing and topic".
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Kim Yo Jong criticised the Security Council meeting, describing it as convened at "the gangster-like demand of the U.S. and its followers". She challenged Thomas-Greenfield to explain the frequent appearance of U.S. strategic assets at South Korean ports. This reference pertains to the temporary deployments of powerful U.S. military assets, including aircraft carriers and nuclear-powered submarines, in line with a U.S.-South Korean defence agreement against North Korea's nuclear threats.
On November 28, North Korean state media reported that Kim Jong Un had reviewed spy satellite photos of the White House, Pentagon, and U.S. aircraft carriers at the naval base in Norfolk. Last week, North Korea successfully launched its first reconnaissance satellite, designed to monitor U.S. and South Korean military movements, according to official statements.
