North Korea dismisses Seoul overtures, cites U.S. drills

Kim Yo Jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, on Sunday rejected South Korea’s conciliatory gestures, saying Pyongyang has no interest in dialogue or engagement. It was North Korea’s first official response to South Korean President Lee Jae-myung’s administration.

“We reiterate our official position that we have no interest in any policy or proposal from Seoul, nor any reason to sit down with South Korea,” Kim Yo Jong said in a statement. She criticized recent measures such as halting loudspeaker broadcasts, banning leaflet campaigns, and allowing individual South Korean tours to the North as nothing more than reversals of actions that should never have taken place.

She also condemned the upcoming Ulchi Freedom Shield joint military exercises, saying the Lee administration is no different from its predecessors and accusing Seoul and Washington of fueling tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

Kim dismissed speculation about inviting Kim Jong Un to the APEC summit in Gyeongju this October, calling it a “vain fantasy.” She also criticized what she described as a “naïve hope” that a few kind words could ease tensions, reaffirming North Korea’s view of the South as a hostile state.

South Korea’s presidential office responded, saying, “We recognize that years of hostility have built a deep wall of mistrust between the two Koreas. Still, establishing peace without conflict remains a core principle of the Lee administration, and we will continue to take necessary steps toward that goal.”


Na-Ri Shin journari@donga.com