North Korea rejects South Korea's mediation offer
Aug 14, 2025
Seoul [South Korea], August 14: Kim Yo-jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, on August 14 rejected reconciliation offers from South Korea, while affirming that Pyongyang would not remove propaganda loudspeakers at the border.
"We have made it clear many times that we have no intention of improving relations with South Korea. This firm stance will be enshrined in our constitution in the future," Yonhap quoted Kim Yo-jong as saying on August 14.
The above statements were made in the context of the administration of South Korean President Lee Jae Myung having made a series of conciliatory moves, from suspending anti -North Korea propaganda broadcasts to dismantling loudspeakers in the inter-Korean border area, according to Yonhap.
The South Korean military said North Korea had removed some of its loudspeakers following Seoul's actions, though it did not say where. Lee also mentioned Pyongyang's removal of the loudspeakers during a cabinet meeting on Aug. 12, AP reported, expressing hope that the retaliatory measures would open the door to inter-Korean dialogue.
However, Ms. Kim Yo-jong denied the claims from South Korea.
"That is a unilateral, baseless assumption and a misdirection of public opinion. We have never dismantled loudspeakers installed in the border area and do not want to dismantle them," she stressed.
South Korea has also halved the content of the annual exercise with the US called "Ulchi Freedom Shield" which took place from August 18. However, Pyongyang considered Seoul's adjustment of the exercise "unpraiseworthy and useless".
Kim Yo-jong accused South Korea of trying to blame North Korea for escalating tensions to gain international support. "Such a trick is nothing more than a 'fantasy', and it does not arouse our interest at all," she said.
The sister of leader Kim Jong-un also affirmed that North Korea is not interested in resuming dialogue with the US, as long as Washington still wants to focus on denuclearization in North Korea.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
