North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s sister, Kim Yo Jong, has dismissed South Korea as a legitimate diplomatic partner, reinforcing Pyongyang’s increasingly hostile stance toward Seoul.
Her comments, published Wednesday by state media, coincide with ongoing South Korea–U.S. military exercises that North Korea routinely condemns as preparations for invasion.
The remarks mark a continuation of Pyongyang’s new approach.
Last year, Kim Jong Un ordered the constitution rewritten to declare South Korea a permanent enemy, formally abandoning the long-standing national goal of peaceful unification.
He has since strengthened relations with Moscow while accelerating North Korea’s nuclear and military buildup.
Kim Yo Jong accused Seoul of masking “sinister intentions” behind peace proposals from President Lee Jae Myung’s government.
Lee, who took office in June after the removal of conservative predecessor Yoon Suk Yeol, has tried to restart dialogue by halting propaganda broadcasts and pledging not to pursue unification through absorption.
In a speech last week, he emphasized that South Korea respects the North’s current system.
Despite these gestures, Kim branded Seoul the “most hostile state” and a “faithful dog” of Washington.
She urged Pyongyang’s foreign ministry to craft new countermeasures against the South, declaring that reconciliation is impossible under current conditions.
Analysts in Seoul interpreted her words as a direct rebuttal to Lee’s outreach. Kim Dong-yub of the University of North Korean Studies said the statement effectively “bolted the door shut” on inter-Korean dialogue.
The latest rhetoric follows Kim Jong Un’s vow earlier this week to expand his nuclear arsenal while inspecting a new warship designed to carry nuclear-capable systems.
North Korea has also deepened cooperation with Russia, providing troops and weapons in exchange for political backing and technology, and has become more outspoken on conflicts in Ukraine, the Middle East, and the Taiwan Strait.
South Korea’s Unification Ministry responded that it will continue “proactive steps for peace” and urged Pyongyang to show mutual respect.