Editor's note: Gabriela Bernal is a Korean analyst and a Ph.D. student at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, South Korea. The article reflects the author's opinions, and not necessarily the views of CGTN.

After staying silent for the past few weeks, Kim Jong Un's sister, Kim Yo Jong, has finally reappeared in DPRK state-media. On Friday, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) released a nearly 2,000-word long press statement made by Kim Yo Jong directed towards the U.S. Specifically, she addressed the recent comments coming from the American side regarding the possibility of another DPRK-U.S. summit this year.

In short, she wasn't very fond of the idea. According to Kim Yo Jong, having another summit with the U.S. at this time is "unpractical and does not serve us at all." She also echoed the DPRK Vice Foreign Minister's comments of last week, who said that a third summit would only be used as a "political tool" by the U.S. Similarly, according to Kim, the reason why the U.S. would want another summit this year would only be "to buy time by calming us down and tying us down so as to prevent political disasters in the relations with the DPRK while taking advantage of the friendly relations between the top leaders."

This is the third time in a week that a high-level DPRK government official has publicly made a statement denouncing the need for another summit with the U.S. This is not because they don't want to engage in diplomacy, but instead because it simply would not be a strategically wise move for the DPRK to make at this time.

"Serious contradiction and unsolvable discord exist between the DPRK and the U.S. Under such circumstances, I am of the view that the DPRK-U.S. summit talk is not needed this year and beyond, and for our part, it is not beneficial to us unless the U.S. shows decisive change in its stand," the statement read. The message coming from Pyongyang is loud and clear: if the U.S. wants to have another summit, they need to approach negotiations with the DPRK from a different angle. They need to be more flexible.

Waiting for the DPRK to collapse under sanctions pressure is not a strategy the American side should continue employing. Kim Yo Jong emphasized this point in her statement: "We are fully capable of living under any sanctions, so there is no reason for us to be driven by the U.S."

It is high time the U.S. realize this, so they don't make the same mistake they did in Hanoi by demanding the DPRK give up all its nuclear weapons in exchange for vague promises. "I hope that the U.S., at this moment in time, does not harbor such a pipe dream as trying to re-strike a bargain which was put on the negotiations table at the Hanoi summit talks," she said.   

She did, however, offer U.S. negotiators several hints on what it is the DPRK wants. "It would be easier and more favorable for the U.S. to rack its brains to make our nukes no threat to the U.S., rather than racking it to dispossess our nukes." She continued: “It does not necessarily mean the denuclearization is not possible. But what we mean is that it is not possible at this point in time.”

In other words, Pyongyang is open to negotiating with Washington as long as they don't approach talks demanding denuclearization up front. If denuclearization were to happen, it would have to be a gradual process. Until and unless the U.S. is open to a more flexible approach, the DPRK will remain uninterested in talks, let alone in giving up their nuclear weapons.

With bilateral talks an unlikely option for the time being, Kim Yo Jong hinted at the next steps she thinks her country should take. "We must develop a long-term plan to cope with and contain long-term threats coming from the U.S. and […] we should strengthen and steadily increase our practical capabilities."

It sounds like the DPRK is on the defensive for now, but that's not bad news. They are playing the waiting game to see how the U.S. political climate will evolve in the coming months and whether American negotiators can adopt another strategy towards her country. Depending on how these factors play out, a third summit between both leaders can become either more probable or impossible.

Despite the overall serious tone of her statement, Kim Yo Jong ended on a rather amicable note. She mentioned how she had watched the U.S. 4th of July celebrations on TV and requested to "personally obtain" a DVD of the celebrations. This statement is quite significant given that just three years ago the DPRK launched an ICBM on that very day.

Small details like this serve to underscore exactly how far both countries have come but also how high the stakes really are.

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