North Korea says it’s ‘not interested’ in talks with Seoul

ISTANBUL

North Korea is not interested in any proposal from South Korea and will not sit down for dialogue, Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, said Monday, state-run media reported.

Kim, who serves as deputy department director of the Publicity and Information Department of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), accused the administration of South Korean President Lee Jae-myung of continuing a hostile approach despite its calls for engagement, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

“Looking at (the time) since Lee Jae-myung took office…(he) is no different from his predecessor in blindly adhering to the South Korea-US alliance and pursuing confrontation with us,” she said.

She emphasized that Pyongyang’s stance remains unchanged regardless of Seoul’s outreach.

“We are not interested in any policy or proposal put forward by Seoul, and there will be no chance of us sitting down with South Korea for any discussions,” Kim added.

South Korea responded after North Korea rejected its proposal to resume dialogue.

"We have witnessed the high wall of distrust between the two Koreas due to years of hostility and confrontation," a senior presidential official was quoted by Yonhap News Agency as saying Monday.

"The government will consistently take necessary actions to ensure a Korean Peninsula without hostility and conflict, in line with the Lee Jae-myung administration's firm principle of establishing a state of peace where there is no need to fight," the official added.

Since taking office last month, the Lee administration has signaled its intention to resume talks with Pyongyang in hopes of easing tensions and restoring inter-Korean cooperation.