North Korea reaffirms nuclear status a day before Chinese president's visit

SEOUL, June 7 (Reuters) - 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 a summit, marking his first visit to the North in nearly ​seven years as Beijing looks to reinforce ties with Pyongyang, China's only formal treaty ally.

Kim Yo Jong called ⁠U.S. claims that Xi and U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed a goal to ​denuclearize during a May summit "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 its leader Kim 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.

(Reporting by Hyunjoo Jin and Sebin Choi; Editing by Edmund Klamann, Rod ‌Nickel)

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