'Nuclear programme is DPRK's line of no retreat'

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea's nuclear weapons programme is the line of no retreat, the sister of the country's leader Kim Jong Un said in a statement broadcast on Sunday ahead of a visit by President Xi Jinping. Pyongyang has long insisted on its right to nuclear weapon and ballistic missile programmes. "The DPRK's status as a nuclear weapons state is the line of no retreat," Kim Yo Jong said in the English version of a statement published by the Korean Central News Agency. "We will never tolerate any threat or compromise related to our sovereignty and security," she said. She also cited reported US weapons sales to Seoul, describing them as the "ceaseless arms buildup of the hostile countries". President Xi will pay a state visit to the DPRK from June 8 to 9, his first to the neighbouring country in seven years, Xinhua News Agency reported. The visit is expected to draw a new blueprint for the development of relations between the two countries, and make new contributions to regional peace, stability and prosperity, Xinhua said. It comes after Xi hosted back-to-back summits with US President Donald Trump and Russia's Vladimir Putin last month. Xi hosted Kim, among other leaders, at a massive military parade in Beijing last year, and the two countries have since resumed some passenger rail and air services. (Xinhua & agencies) Edited by Aaron Tam