• North Korea warns that the US must accept its nuclear status to avoid mockery.
• Kim Yo Jong emphasizes that the country will not engage in denuclearization talks.
• The geopolitical landscape has changed since previous summits between Trump and Kim.

North Korea issued a firm warning to the United States, stating that it must recognize the altered reality regarding its nuclear capabilities. Kim Yo Jong, sister of leader Kim Jong Un, indicated that any future discussions aimed at denuclearization would be treated with disdain, emphasizing that such efforts could only be perceived as "a mockery" if personal relations with U.S. President Donald Trump were misused in negotiations. "If the U.S. fails to accept the changed reality and persists in the failed past, the DPRK-U.S. meeting will remain as a 'hope' of the U.S. side," she stated, underscoring her country’s position as a nuclear power according to Channel News Asia and Reuters.

In her statements, Kim asserted that discussions over North Korea’s nuclear arsenal are firmly closed, citing the significant advancements made since the last engagement with the U.S. The remarks are perceived as an assertion of Pyongyang's intent to dominate the diplomatic agenda, particularly following South Korea's recent political changes. Kim's sentiments echo previous failures in diplomacy, particularly after the 2019 Hanoi summit, which ended without an agreement on sanctions relief. The insistence on nuclear status comes as North Korea aims to prevent the U.S. from diminishing its sovereignty as a nuclear state, according to South China Morning Post and India Times.

Kim Yo Jong also acknowledged that the personal rapport between her brother and Trump is "not bad," but cautioned against using this relationship to further U.S. denuclearization objectives. The evolving geopolitical environment since earlier summits demonstrates North Korea's increasing assertiveness in defining the terms of engagement with both the United States and South Korea. She highlighted that the doors remain open for dialogue under different circumstances, although the specifics of nuclear disarmament are presently off the table, reports Reuters and India Times.