Kim Jong-un's sister mocks South Korean attempts to improve relations

North Korea has ridiculed South Korea’s attempts to restart dialogue, while denying that it has removed propaganda loudspeakers from the border as Seoul has suggested.

Kim Yo-jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, claimed on Thursday that the South Korean military was lying when it said Pyongyang had taken the measure in response to its own recent dismantling of its front-line speakers.

The senior official said that North Koreans “have never removed loudspeakers installed on the border area and are not willing to remove them.”

In response, South Korean army spokesperson Colonel Lee Sung-joon cautioned against “being easily swayed” by North Korean statements, suggesting that Pyongyang often makes false claims.

The latest comments from the Korean peninsula come several days after South Korea’s new liberal President Lee Jae-myung, who described the alleged loudspeaker move as a “reciprocal measure”, expressed hope that the neighbours could “gradually reopen dialogue and communication”.

Kim dented such optimism on Thursday when she dismissed South Korea’s peace overtures, saying that Seoul’s policy towards Pyongyang “remains unchanged and can never change”.

Since assuming office in June, Lee has attempted to restart diplomacy with the North, a change of tack from the hard-line policies of the country’s previous conservative government. However, analysts have expressed doubts about whether the approach will reap dividends.

As part of such efforts, the South Korean government decided to stop propaganda broadcasts from loudspeakers at the border.

South Korea’s Unification Ministry said Seoul would pursue “sustained steps” to improve relations, but admitted that the process would require patience.

Tensions between the neighbours could increase next week when annual US-South Korean military exercises begin.

As well as the loudspeakers issue, Kim rejected suggestions in the South Korean press that Russian President Vladimir Putin would give his US counterpart Donald Trump a message from Pyongyang during their talks in Alaska on Friday.

“Why should we send a message to the US side?” she said, noting that Pyongyang does not want to resume dialogue with the Americans, with whom it has not held talks since Trump’s first presidency.

North Korea and Russia have deepened their alliance since the Kremlin began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Pyongyang has sent Moscow thousands of troops and large quantities of military supplies to help Russia in its war.

On Wednesday, the North Korean and Russian leaders held a phone call, with Putin sharing information about his upcoming talks with Trump, according to Russia’s state-run Tass news agency.