Seoul vows to consistently pursue normalization of inter-Korean ties after NK statement
A North Korean guard post near the border city of Paju is shown, along with a loudspeaker installation that blares noise across the border into the South, Aug. 14. Yonhap
South Korea will consistently pursue the normalization of ties with North Korea, the unification ministry said Thursday, responding to Pyongyang's statement rejecting Seoul's conciliatory overtures.
"The government will consistently pursue normalization and stabilization of ties between South and North Korea in a way that can become mutually beneficial," an official at the unification ministry said.
The reaction came just hours after Kim Yo-jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, issued the statement, rebuffing the Lee Jae Myung administration's actions to appease North Korea and resume dialogue, calling them a "pipe dream."
"We have clarified on several occasions that we have no will to improve relations with (South Korea) ... and this conclusive stand and viewpoint will be fixed in our constitution in the future," Kim Yo-jong said.
"It may be necessary for Seoul to take an undaunted, long-term approach in order to turn the strength-to-strength inter-Korean ties of the past three years into ones of goodwill," the ministry official noted.
Sincere attitudes and consistent actions from both countries are needed to ease tensions on the Korean Peninsula and build peace, the official said.
He assessed the timing of Thursday's statement by Kim may have been chosen in consideration of Lee's public address Friday marking the 80th anniversary of the Korean Peninsula's liberation from Japan's colonial rule, as well as the upcoming Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise between Seoul and Washington and the Aug. 25 summit between Lee and U.S. President Donald Trump.
Kim's statement also reflects North Korea's stance of prioritizing relations with the U.S. over Seoul, the official noted, adding that Pyongyang appears to view Washington as a more suitable counterpart for addressing its issues.
In the statement, Kim also left open the possibility of resuming dialogue with Washington, saying, "If the U.S. persists with the outdated way of thinking, the meeting between the top leaders (of North Korea and the U.S.) will remain only the 'hope' of the U.S. side."
Kim also said North Korea has "never removed loudspeakers installed on the border area and are not willing to remove them," refuting Seoul's earlier announcement that Pyongyang had begun dismantling them in response to Seoul's overture.
During a press briefing, however, Col. Lee Sung-jun, spokesperson for South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff, maintained the military's conclusion that North Korea had removed one of its border-area loudspeakers.