North Korea has dismissed the possibility of renewing talks with South Korea, criticizing the new administration in Seoul for its continued close ties with the United States.
This comes as South Korea’s recently elected president, Lee Jae Myung, has tried to adopt a more peaceful approach toward the North.
Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and a key figure in the country’s leadership, made the remarks in a statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency.
It was Pyongyang’s first formal response to the policies of President Lee, who took office in June.
Since becoming president, Lee has stopped loudspeaker broadcasts that previously sent political messages across the border in response to North Korean balloon launches filled with trash.
These balloons carried materials such as used batteries, garbage, and even soil containing parasites.
North Korea had retaliated with broadcasts of disturbing sounds directed at the South.
Lee has said he is open to unconditional talks with the North, marking a clear departure from the tougher stance of his predecessor.
His government has also banned activists from sending propaganda leaflets by balloon and recently sent back six North Korean fishermen who had drifted into southern waters and asked to return home.
Despite acknowledging these actions as efforts to ease tension, North Korea said they were not enough.
Kim Yo Jong said that the South’s alliance with Washington and upcoming joint military drills show that Seoul is still taking a hostile path.
The North made clear it has no plans to engage, saying there is nothing to talk about with the current administration in Seoul.