SEOUL: North Korea has dismissed South Korea’s recent peace overtures as a “great miscalculation,“ with Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of leader Kim Jong Un, stating Pyongyang has no interest in dialogue.
The remarks mark the first official response to South Korean President Lee Jae Myung’s attempts to ease tensions.
Kim Yo Jong, a senior official in the ruling Workers’ Party, criticized Lee’s commitment to the South Korea-U.S. alliance, saying it proves he is no different from his predecessor.
“If South Korea expects to reverse all the consequences of its actions with a few sentimental words, there could be no greater miscalculation than that,“ she said in a statement carried by state media.
Lee, who took office in June, has sought to improve strained ties by halting anti-North propaganda broadcasts and banning activist leaflets.
However, Kim dismissed these gestures as mere reversals of hostile actions that should never have occurred.
“We again make clear the official position that whatever policy is established in Seoul or proposal is made, we are not interested,“ she said.
South Korea’s Unification Ministry acknowledged the deep distrust between the two sides but pledged to continue efforts for reconciliation.
“The wall of distrust between the South and the North is very high as a result of hostile and confrontational policy over the past few years,“ a ministry spokesperson said.
Despite the North’s rejection, Seoul remains cautiously optimistic, noting Pyongyang’s earlier decision to silence its own propaganda loudspeakers.
Meanwhile, North Korea marked the Korean War armistice anniversary with a military parade in Pyongyang, though state media did not report leader Kim Jong Un’s attendance.
The two Koreas technically remain at war, as the 1950-53 conflict ended in an armistice, not a peace treaty. – Reuters
