Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, declared Monday that Pyongyang has “no interest” in South Korean President Lee Jae Myung’s attempts to ease tensions between the two countries. This marked North Korea’s first formal response to Lee, who took office in June after his predecessor, Yoon Suk Yeol, was ousted following a failed martial law effort. Kim’s statement, carried by the Korean Central News Agency, dismissed any evaluation of Lee’s presidency or policies, emphasizing that North Korea does not care who leads South Korea or what policies are pursued.
Kim criticized South Korea’s continued military alliance with the United States, saying it made reconciliation efforts pointless. She said Lee’s administration mirrors its predecessor in its unwavering trust in the U.S.-South Korea alliance and confrontational stance toward the North. Kim reiterated that North Korea is uninterested in any proposals from Seoul, stating there is no reason to meet or discuss issues. Despite Lee’s recent moves to improve relations—such as suspending loudspeaker broadcasts at the DMZ and repatriating North Korean defectors—Kim dismissed these gestures as insufficient and insincere. South Korea’s Ministry of Unification responded by acknowledging Pyongyang’s close watch on Lee’s policies but vowed to persist with efforts toward peaceful coexistence. New Unification Minister Chung Dong-young stressed the urgency of reopening communication channels with the North. However, Kim rejected reconciliation efforts as futile and called for the abolition of the Unification Ministry. In October, North Korea’s constitutional revision officially labeled South Korea a “hostile state,” signaling a sharp break from the longstanding goal of reunification.