North Korea’s powerful de facto diplomat, Kim Yo-jong, emphatically dismissed recent overtures from South Korea’s newly inaugurated liberal government, vowing that Pyongyang’s hostility remains unchanged and insisting there is no possibility of dialogue under the current circumstances.
In official statements carried by North Korea’s KCNA news agency on August 13, 2025, Kim Yo-jong rebuked Seoul’s attempts to de-escalate tension, such as suspending propaganda-loudspeaker broadcasts and banning activist leaflet drops, calling them ineffective reversals of actions “that should never have been initiated in the first place.” She branded South Korea’s belief that these moves signaled a thaw as a “pipedream,” and flatly denied that North Korea had lowered its guard.
Defending Pyongyang’s posture, Kim underlined that not only have the loudspeakers not been dismantled, despite South Korea’s claims of observing such activity but North Korea remains steadfastly uninterested in any talks with either Seoul or Washington. She specifically dismissed speculation about dialogue with the U.S., terming such reports as “false suppositions.”
South Korea’s liberal administration, led by President Lee Jae-myung, had moved swiftly since taking office in June, ordering the cessation of loudspeaker broadcasts across the Demilitarized Zone, discouraging leaflet campaigns, even repatriating drifted North Korean defectors, all intended as goodwill gestures to reset inter-Korean ties. The government publicly expressed cautious optimism that these steps might yield a diplomatic opening.
Instead, Kim Yo-jong’s defiant posture reinforced that North Korea remains impervious to reconciliation, tethered to its long-standing view of South Korea as an adversary. She dismissed Seoul’s overtures as superficial and insisted that their entrenched alliance with the U.S. continues to define their hostile character.
Seoul’s Unification Ministry, while acknowledging the persistent wall of mistrust that Kim’s remarks reveal, reaffirmed its commitment to pursuing reconciliation. Officials noted that Kim Yo-jong’s comments underscore the depth of inter-Korean suspicion but pledged to continue seeking constructive engagement.
Analysts interpret Kim Yo-jong’s remarks as a calculated effort to redefine inter-Korean relations by dismantling the ideological premise of reunification altogether. Her rhetoric, imbued with both defiance and dismissal, suggests a strategic decision to maintain distance, even amid nuanced signs of military de-escalation at the border.
