Kim Yo Jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, has once again dismissed peace overtures from South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, stating that Pyongyang will never consider Seoul a diplomatic partner.
This declaration came on Wednesday through the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) as South Korea and the United States continued their joint military exercises aimed at responding to North Korea’s advancing nuclear capabilities.
During a meeting with senior Foreign Ministry officials on Tuesday, Kim criticized the joint military drills, labeling them a ‘reckless’ rehearsal for invasion. She accused Lee of possessing a ‘dual personality’ by advocating for peace while simultaneously participating in military exercises.
Kim asserted, ‘The Republic of Korea, which is not serious, weighty, and honest, will not have even a subordinate role in the regional diplomatic arena centered on the DPRK.’ This statement underscores the deep-seated skepticism that North Korea harbors towards diplomacy with its southern neighbor.
Kim further maintained that ‘the ROK cannot be a diplomatic partner of the DPRK,’ solidifying her stance against any potential collaboration.
This response follows Lee’s recent attempts to improve inter-Korean relations, which have been strained under the more hardline policies of his predecessor. Lee has expressed intentions to restore a 2018 military agreement designed to lessen tensions between the two Koreas.
In a nationally televised address, Lee emphasized that his government respects North Korea’s political system and clarified that South Korea does not seek unification through absorption or engage in hostile actions. He called on Pyongyang to re-establish dialogue with Washington and Seoul, seeking peace despite ongoing military drills.
However, Kim Yo Jong has labeled Lee’s gestures as nothing more than a ‘fancy and a pipe dream.’ She criticized the political environment in South Korea, expressing her and her country’s weariness with decades of South Korean policies against the North. ‘We have witnessed and experienced the dirty political system of the ROK for decades… and now we are sick and tired of it,’ she stated.
Kim remarked that ambitions for confrontation with North Korea have remained a constant through both conservative and liberal administrations in South Korea. She reiterated her belief that President Lee would not be the figure to alter this trajectory in inter-Korean relations.
The tension was further compounded by recent remarks from Kim Jong Un, which were reported by KCNA and characterized the US-South Korea military drills as an ‘obvious expression of their will to provoke war.’
South Korea and the US, however, maintain that the 11-day Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise is purely defensive in nature. The drills involve approximately 21,000 troops, including 18,000 South Koreans, engaging in simulated command post operations and field training.
In a reaction to the military exercises, Kim Jong Un has vowed to accelerate the expansion of his country’s nuclear capabilities. He has been observed inspecting advanced warships that are being equipped with nuclear-capable systems.
Last year, Kim Jong Un officially declared the abandonment of any long-standing goals for peaceful unification with South Korea, further altering Pyongyang’s constitution to designate Seoul as a perennial adversary.
The North Korean leadership has repeatedly disregarded calls from Washington and Seoul to renew discussions aimed at curtailing its nuclear and missile programs, which faced setbacks after a collapsed summit with President Donald Trump in 2019.
In addition, Kim has redirected his foreign policy priorities towards Moscow since the onset of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, sending military support to President Vladimir Putin while leveraging the conflict as a diversion to accelerate North Korea’s military nuclear agenda.
image source from：aljazeera
