North Korea has strongly rejected any possibility of restarting talks with South Korea. Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, said on Monday that her country has “no interest” in dialogue, even as South Korea’s new president pushes for peace.
In a statement published by North Korean state media, Kim Yo Jong criticized President Lee Jae-myung’s efforts to ease tensions. These included stopping loudspeaker broadcasts along the border, which had previously blasted messages critical of the North Korean regime.
“If South Korea thinks it can fix everything with a few kind words, it is making a serious mistake,” Kim said.
Kim Yo Jong, who manages propaganda and key messaging for North Korea’s ruling party, said the new South Korean leadership is no different from the previous conservative administration. She accused President Lee of “daydreaming” after his government showed interest in inviting Kim Jong Un to the upcoming APEC summit in South Korea.
She also criticized South Korea’s continued alliance with the United States, saying that Seoul remains hostile toward Pyongyang.
“There is no reason to meet or talk with South Korea,” she said firmly, using South Korea’s official name, the Republic of Korea (ROK).
President Lee Jae-myung took office just last month after former president Yoon Suk-yeol was removed from power following a controversial declaration of martial law. Lee has promised to improve relations between the two Koreas, who have technically remained at war since the Korean War ended in an armistice in 1953.
Lee’s Democratic Party generally supports peaceful engagement with North Korea, unlike the more confrontational approach taken by Yoon’s conservative People Power Party.
Earlier this month, South Korea returned six North Korean citizens who had been rescued after drifting into South Korean waters. Though a rare humanitarian gesture, it has not led to any thaw in relations.
Tensions on the Korean Peninsula remain high. The North regularly criticizes joint military drills between South Korea and the U.S., while the South views the North’s missile tests and nuclear program as serious threats.
Despite hopes for peace from the new South Korean leadership, Pyongyang has once again made it clear: it is not ready to talk.
