Bangladesh, July 29 -- In a bold declaration that underscores Pyongyangs hardened stance, Kim Yo jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, has insisted that the United States must formally recognize North Korea as a nuclear-armed state if it wishes to reengage in diplomacy. Her comments, delivered through the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on July 29, mark a decisive shift away from any ambiguity regarding the Democratic Peoples Republic of Koreas (DPRK) nuclear status-and signal the regimes resolve to reshape future negotiations on its own terms.

Kim Yo-jong, a vice department director in the Workers Party of Koreas Central Committee and widely seen as one of her brothers closest and most powerful adv...