North Korea declares nuclear status final before Xi visit

North Korea declared its status as a nuclear-armed state final and not open to negotiation, one day before Chinese President Xi Jinping was set to begin a state visit to Pyongyang. The statement, carried by state media KCNA, was delivered by Kim Yo-jong, Kim Jong-un's sister, who often speaks for the North Korean leadership's official line. She rejected international pressure for denuclearization and described the country's weapons of mass destruction program as not a political bargaining chip. The statement drew added attention because Xi was scheduled to be in Pyongyang for two days, his first visit to North Korea in seven years. The trip came after Xi met U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing, while the White House had previously said Washington and Beijing were committed to denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.