'It is a daydream': North slams denuclearization hopes in response to Lee's statements in U.S.
Published: 27 Aug. 2025, 11:35
![North Korean leader Kim Jong-un inspects a uranium enrichment facility and research center on Jan. 29. [NEWS1]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/08/27/81cd8303-2d93-411e-b76b-3b8821a26991.jpg)
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un inspects a uranium enrichment facility and research center on Jan. 29. [NEWS1]
North Korea has sharply criticized President Lee Jae Myung’s recent remarks on denuclearization made during his visit to the United States.
“It is a daydream for the ROK [Republic of Korea], the one and only political poor in the world who has offered all its sovereignty to the U.S., to cherish an absurd hope for 'denuclearization' unaware of the nature of the nuclear issue of the DPRK [Democratic People's Republic of Korea],” said the state-run Korea Central News Agency (KCNA) in a commentary published Wednesday.
North Korea further argued that its status as a nuclear power “is an inevitable option that correctly reflects the hostile threat from outside and the change of the structure of the world security dynamics.”
The statement came shortly after President Lee emphasized denuclearization and trilateral cooperation between South Korea, the United States and Japan during a summit with U.S. President Donald Trump and in a subsequent speech in Washington.
![Korean President Lee Jae Myung, left, and U.S. President Donald Trump chat in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington on Aug. 25. The two leaders held their first bilateral summit, followed by a working lunch. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/08/27/63901845-7f0d-4c65-bc3c-43de342fcec9.jpg)
Korean President Lee Jae Myung, left, and U.S. President Donald Trump chat in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington on Aug. 25. The two leaders held their first bilateral summit, followed by a working lunch. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]
“Obligations under the Non-Proliferation Treaty [NPT] must be strictly observed on the Korean Peninsula, and it is evident that is in the interests of both Koreas,” said Lee in a keynote address at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington on Monday. “The Republic of Korea will comply with the NPT regime and strictly keep its commitment to denuclearization.
“And another partner who cannot be left out in this new chapter is Japan,” said Lee. “Together with Trump — President Trump, I will further strengthen trilateral cooperation, based on the ironclad ROK-U.S. alliance. The three countries will respond jointly to North Korean nuclear and missile threats and step up efforts to achieve peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region and the world."
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY BAE JAE-SUNG [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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