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North Korea has stated that it will not negotiate its sovereignty with the United States, accusing Washington of double standards in its approach to diplomatic talks and military activities in the region, as reported by state media KCNA.

Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and a key official, criticized the United States for its actions at a recent UN Security Council meeting, where North Korea’s launch of its first spy satellite was discussed. She criticized US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield for pushing to reopen talks with North Korea while simultaneously condemning its right to space development. “The United States showed ‘extreme double standards,” Kim Yo Jong said, highlighting the US and South Korea’s condemnation of the satellite launch as a breach of UN Security Council resolutions.

Kim Yo Jong’s remarks came amidst a heated exchange at the UN between Thomas-Greenfield and North Korean Ambassador Kim Song, each defending their country’s military actions as defensive. She pointed out Thomas-Greenfield’s “failure to justify” the US’s stance on ‘diplomatic engagement’ alongside “provocative” military activities, such as deploying a US nuclear carrier and a nuclear submarine in the Korean peninsula.

“The sovereignty of an independent state can never be an agenda item for negotiations,” Kim Yo Jong stated, asserting that North Korea will never engage in face-to-face discussions with the US for this purpose.

This comes after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was said to have inspected photos of US military bases taken by the spy satellite, although the state media has not released any images, leading to speculation about the satellite’s capabilities. Kim Jong Un also accused South Korea of escalating tensions through joint military drills with US troops. In response, Seoul’s unification ministry urged North Korea to choose dialogue and cooperation over provocations and threats.