Written by Kim Tong-hyung
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s strong sister once again mocked South Korean attempts to strengthen relations, claiming that her nation would never recognize Seoul as a diplomatic partner, according to state media on Wednesday.
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Kim Yo Jong’s comments show a change in Pyongyang’s strategy toward its adversary, but they also match a long-standing pattern of belligerent language during continuing South Korea-U.S. military drills, which the North has traditionally condemned as invasion rehearsals.
Her brother has turned his attention to Moscow, and he said last year that North Korea was giving up on its long-standing aspirations to unite peacefully with South Korea. He commanded that the constitution be amended to designate the South as an enduring adversary.
Since a 2019 summit with U.S. President Donald Trump during his first term failed, Kim Jong Un has embraced the notion of a new Cold War and intensified his nuclear goals.
Following his inauguration in 2022, former President Yoon Suk Yeol responded in Seoul by increasing military exercises with Tokyo and Washington and requesting more robust guarantees of U.S. nuclear deterrence.
However, after entering office in June, South Korea’s new liberal president, Lee Jae Myung, has worked to reestablish communication between the two Koreas. Yoon was ousted from office in disgrace. Ending cross-border propaganda broadcasts that annoy Pyongyang is one example of his extended olive branches.
In a speech on Friday, Lee stated that his government respects the established structure of North Korea, will not seek unification through absorption, and has no plans to commit hostile activities.
However, Kim Yo Jong asserted that Seoul’s peace initiatives mask a nefarious plan to hold Pyongyang accountable for tense relations. According to official media on Wednesday, she claimed that the careless South Korean-American military exercises were evidence of Seoul’s animosity.
At a meeting with Foreign Ministry officials on Tuesday, Kim said that there would never be reconciliation with the South and encouraged them to take appropriate actions against Seoul, which she described as the most hostile state and a loyal ally of the United States.
South Korea is now seen in Pyongyang as a regional barrier to the North’s efforts to establish a more significant role in international affairs, when previously it was seen as a helpful middleman for negotiating concessions from Washington.
The Unification Ministry of South Korea, which is in charge of inter-Korean affairs, responded to Kim Yo Jong’s most recent remarks by stating that Lee’s government will keep taking proactive measures for peace and urging respect for one another.
Professor Kim Dong-yub of the University of North Korean Studies in South Korea claimed that Kim Yo Jong’s most recent comments were a reaction to Lee’s speech, thus closing the door.
As he inspected his most sophisticated warship being equipped with nuclear-capable equipment on Monday, Kim Jong Un also denounced the South Korean-American military exercises and pledged a swift growth of his nuclear forces.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine gave him a chance to become closer to Moscow, which he has done by sending thousands of troops and a lot of military hardware.
North Korea has also become increasingly outspoken in international events outside of the Korean Peninsula, making statements on Middle Eastern crises and Taiwan Strait issues as its alliance with Russia has grown.
Kim Yo Jong hinted to Pyongyang’s diplomatic rivalry with Seoul during Tuesday’s foreign policy conference, asserting that the South will not even play a supporting role in the regional diplomatic arena, which she emphasized will be focused on the North.
