North Korea has made it clear that it has no interest in any policy or proposals for reconciliation from South Korea. Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and a senior ruling party official, expressed this sentiment in response to South Korean President Lee Jae Myung’s peace overtures. According to Kim, Lee’s commitment to the South Korea-US security alliance shows he is no different from his hostile 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,” Kim said, as quoted by the official KCNA news agency. This statement underscores the deep-seated distrust between the two nations. Lee, who took office on June 4, has vowed to improve ties with Pyongyang, which had reached a low point in recent years.
As part of his efforts to ease tensions, Lee suspended loudspeaker broadcasts blasting anti-North propaganda across the border and banned the flying of leaflets by activists that had angered Pyongyang. However, Kim Yo Jong dismissed these moves as merely reversing ill-intentioned activities by South Korea that should never have been initiated in the first place. “In other words, it’s not even something worth our assessment,” she said, emphasizing that North Korea is not interested in dialogue with South Korea.
“We again make clear the official position that whatever policy is established in Seoul or proposal is made, we are not interested, and we will not be sitting down with South Korea and there is nothing to discuss,” Kim added, making it clear that North Korea is not open to reconciliation efforts at this time. South Korea’s Unification Ministry acknowledged the high level of distrust between the two nations, stating that Kim Yo Jong’s comments “show 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.”
Despite the challenges, South Korea remains committed to pursuing reconciliation and cooperation with North Korea. “South Korea will continue to make efforts for reconciliation and cooperation with the North,” ministry spokesperson Koo Byoung-sam said during a briefing. There has been cautious optimism in South Korea that North Korea may respond positively to these efforts, particularly after Pyongyang shut off its loudspeakers, a move Lee described as quicker than expected.
The South Korean government is navigating complex diplomatic terrain, including tough negotiations with Washington to avoid punishing tariffs threatened by President Donald Trump. Lee has emphasized the importance of the US alliance, stating that Seoul would make efforts to “strengthen the South Korea-US alliance that was sealed in blood” on the anniversary of the Korean War armistice.
North Korea also marked the anniversary, which it calls Victory Day, with a parade in Pyongyang. While the event was held on a relatively smaller scale compared to previous years, it featured columns of soldiers marching with portraits of commanders, including state founder Kim Il Sung, and a formation of military jets flying over the Pyongyang Gymnasium square. The state media did not report on leader Kim Jong Un’s attendance at the event.