Kim Yo Jong Says North Korea Nuclear Capability Will Keep Rising

According to Lianhe Zaobao citing Reuters, Kim Yo Jong, a senior official in the Workers' Party of Korea, said North Korea's nuclear weapons capability will continue to rise steadily and accused ASEAN's call for denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula of being "foolish and absurd." Reuters said the Korean Central News Agency published her remarks on Monday, July 27. Kim, the younger sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, said the country's nuclear force will rise "without interruption" and that there will be no stagnation. She also expressed strong dissatisfaction with ASEAN's stance at the foreign ministers' meetings on July 23, when ASEAN foreign ministers said they were seriously concerned about North Korea's continued development of nuclear weapons and stressed that dialogue is critical to achieving lasting peace and stability through denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. Kim said ASEAN should beware of being used by the United States and turned into its mouthpiece.