"North Korea Appears Interested in US-North Korea Dialogue… Cannot Recognize It as a Nuclear Weapons State"

[Anchor]

Following Kim Yo-jong's statement, the South Korean government assessed that North Korea appears interested in dialogue. Addressing concerns that U.S. President Trump might be accepting the reality of North Korea's nuclear arsenal, Seoul clearly reiterated its stance that Pyongyang cannot be recognized as a nuclear-armed state.

Reporter Kim Kwan-jin has the details.

[Reporter]

When asked during a National Assembly National Defense Committee meeting how he assesses the possibility of resumed dialogue or behind-the-scenes contact between the U.S. and North Korea, Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back responded that while intelligence matters limit what can be said, he offered the following assessment.

[Ahn Gyu-back / Minister of National Defense: Looking at various statements by Kim Yo-jong, we get the impression that they are interested. More detailed analysis seems necessary.]

To a question asking whether U.S. President Trump's remarks mentioning that North Korea possesses 57 nuclear weapons mean the U.S. is acknowledging North Korea as a nuclear state and abandoning denuclearization, Minister Ahn declined to comment on behalf of the U.S. as South Korea's defense chief, but reaffirmed the government's position that North Korea cannot be officially recognized as a nuclear weapons state.

[Sung Il-jong / People Power Party Lawmaker: Do you acknowledge that North Korea possesses nuclear weapons?]

[Ahn Gyu-back / Minister of National Defense: We cannot officially recognize it.]

[Sung Il-jong / People Power Party Lawmaker: Do you view the U.S. as abandoning denuclearization?]

[Ahn Gyu-back / Minister of National Defense: I do not view the U.S. as having abandoned denuclearization.]

Regarding concerns that President Trump's sudden directive to scale back South Korea-U.S. joint military exercises could disrupt the verification of full operational capability for the wartime operational control (OPCON) transition, Minister Ahn replied that two evaluations, including counter-fire operations, have already been completed during the first part of this Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) exercise.

On the so-called border-construction work being carried out by North Korea near the Military Demarcation Line, the Ministry of National Defense stated that it is expected to be completed around 2028.

[Kwon Dae-won / Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff: Out of the 250 km of the Military Demarcation Line, we assess that about 90% of the denuded zone work has been completed, while landmine fields and barbed wire installations are estimated at 30% to 60% completion.]

The military also reported that North Korea has deployed new 600mm super-large multiple rocket launchers and tactical missiles—which Pyongyang claims are capable of carrying tactical nuclear warheads—to frontline areas near the armistice line.

(Video by: Oh Young-chun, Kim Yong-woo | Video Editing by: Yu Mi-ra)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.