Thomson Reuters

· Posted: Jun 06, 2026 7:23 PM EDT | Last Updated: 40 minutes ago

Kim Yo-jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, said North ‌Korea will never back down on its status as a nuclear-armed state, warning that it will not tolerate any ​threats, state media agency KCNA ​said on Thursday.

Chinese President Xi Jinping is set to visit North Korea ​on Monday for the first time in ⁠nearly seven ⁠years as Beijing looks ‌to reinforce ties with Pyongyang, China's only formal treaty ally.

Kim Yo-jong also said U.S. claims ‌that Xi and U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed a goal to denuclearize during a May summit are "false," adding that ⁠it "has the most accurate information" regarding the claims.

"The policy of continuously strengthening self-defensive nuclear war deterrence, as declared by the ‌head of state, is an irreversible and final conclusion that must be executed unconditionally," she said.

Early this week, North Korea unveiled ⁠a new nuclear material production factory where Kim ⁠Jong-un called for ​an "exponential" expansion of the country's atomic arsenal.

Analysts said the ​new uranium-enrichment ⁠site appeared aimed at reinforcing North Korea’s negotiating position ahead of the Xi-Kim summit while justifying an acceleration of its nuclear build-up

Kim Jong-un also visited a major ​munitions factory and ordered ⁠the country's missile production capacity to be increased 2.5 times over the next five years, Yonhap News Agency said on Sunday, citing North Korea's state newspaper, The Rodong Sinmun.