North Korea rejects outreach by South Korea's new president
Kim Yo-jong's comments suggest again that North Korea, now preoccupied with its expanding cooperation with Russia, has no intentions of returning to diplomacy with South Korea and the US anytime soon. But experts said North Korea could change its course if it thinks it cannot maintain the same booming ties with Russia when the Russia-Ukraine war nears an end.
"We clarify once again the official stand that no matter what policy is adopted and whatever proposal is made in Seoul, we have no interest in it and there is neither a reason to meet nor an issue to be discussed with" South Korea, Kim Yo-jong said in a statement carried by state media.
It's North Korea's first official statement on the government of South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, which took office in early June. In an effort to improve badly frayed ties with North Korea, Lee's government has halted anti-Pyongyang frontline loudspeaker broadcasts, taken steps to ban activists from flying balloons with propaganda leaflets across the border and repatriated North Koreans who were drifted south in wooden boats months earlier.
'Sincere efforts'
Kim Yo-jong called such steps "sincere efforts" by Lee's government to develop ties. But she said the Lee government won't be much different from its predecessors, citing what it calls "their blind trust" to the military alliance with the US and attempt to "stand in confrontation" with North Korea. She mentioned the upcoming summertime South Korea-US military drills, which North Korea views as an invasion rehearsal.
North Korea has been shunning talks with South Korea and the US since leader Kim Jong-un's high-stakes nuclear diplomacy with President Donald Trump fell apart in 2019 due to wrangling over international sanctions. North Korea has since focused on building more powerful nuclear weapons targeting its rivals.
North Korea now prioritizes cooperation with Russia by sending troops and conventional weapons to support its war against Ukraine, likely in return for economic and military assistance. South Korea, the US and others say Russia may even give North Korea sensitive technologies that can enhance its nuclear and missile programs.
Since beginning his second term in January, Trump has repeatedly boasted of his personal ties with Kim Jong-un and expressed intent to resume diplomacy with him. But North Korea hasn't publicly responded to Trump's overture.
In early 2024, Kim Jong-un ordered the rewriting of the constitution to remove the long-running state goal of a peaceful Korean unification and cement South Korea as an "invariable principal enemy." That caught many foreign experts by surprise because it was seen as eliminating the idea of shared statehood between the war-divided Koreas and breaking away with his predecessors' long-cherished dreams of peacefully achieving a unified Korea on the North's terms.
Many experts say Kim likely aims to guard against South Korean cultural influence and bolster his family's dynastic rule. Others say Kim wants legal room to use his nuclear weapons against South Korea by making it a foreign enemy state, not a partner for potential unification which shares a sense of national homogeneity.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
France 24
an hour ago
- France 24
Ukraine will fix anti-graft law, minister tells AFP ahead of crucial vote
President Volodymyr Zelensky changed the law that curbed the powers of anti-graft bodies after the original legislation sparked the largest public unrest since Russia's invasion more than three years ago. The law had put the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) under the direct authority of the prosecutor general, who is appointed by the president. Critics said the move could facilitate presidential interference in corruption probes. On Thursday, the parliament is to vote on a new version, approved by the agencies, which restores their independence, but also provides for regular lie detector tests for anti-graft officials. "We anticipate the vote tomorrow. The relevant parliamentary committee has already given its approval. We are getting this fixed," Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga told AFP in an interview. Several hundred people staged a new protest in the rain in central Kyiv on the eve of the vote to put pressure on lawmakers. "Hands off NABU and SAPO," they chanted. "I hope that things will improve somehow, but it will be almost impossible to completely restore our reputation," Olena, a 51-year-old IT worker, told AFP at the protest. Another protester, Pavlo, said however that he did not think the action "did any harm" as people were focused on the war with Russia. But he added that the law has damaged public trust in the government, which already "wasn't very high". The minister said last week's protests proved Ukraine is a democracy. "The Ukrainian authorities heard their (civil society) voices, as well as those of our partners," he declared. 'National interest' Sybiga reiterated Kyiv's commitment to fight corruption and its desire to join the European Union and NATO military alliance, "there is no alternative to this path," the minister said. "This is a principled position of President Zelenskyy and this is in our national interest." European allies had been worried that the law would undermine anti-corruption reforms key to Ukraine's bid to join the EU, but supported the new amendments. It remains to be seen whether members of the parliament, which is mostly loyal to Zelensky, will approve the new version. Commentators and Ukrainian media feared some lawmakers under potential investigation by the agencies may be reluctant to support the new bill. Thirty-one MPs have been mentioned in NABU's investigations, SAPO said in a statement on Wednesday. NABU and SAPO were created a decade ago when Ukraine undertook anti-corruption reforms after the pro-European Maidan protests, dubbed as the Revolution of Dignity. They uncovered major corruption cases, including within the presidency, parliament and judiciary. However only three out of the 10 most significant cases resulted in prison sentences, according NABU. "Hope dies last," said Olena, who took part in Wednesday's protest.
France 24
an hour ago
- France 24
Ukraine will 'fix' controversial anti-graft law, FM says on eve of vote
Ukraine will fix a controversial anti-graft law that sparked protests last week, its foreign minister told AFP on Wednesday, ahead of a parliamentary vote Thursday on the amendments. President Volodymyr Zelensky changed the law that curbed the powers of anti-graft bodies after the original legislation sparked the largest public unrest since Russia 's invasion more than three years ago. The law had placed the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) under the direct authority of the prosecutor general, who is appointed by the president. Critics said the move could facilitate presidential interference in corruption probes. Zelensky approves new bill restoring 'independence' of anti-corruption bodies after protests 01:46 The new version, approved by the agencies, restores their independence, but also provides for regular lie detector tests for anti-graft officials. "We anticipate the vote tomorrow. The relevant parliamentary committee has already given its approval. We are getting this fixed," Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga told AFP in an interview. He reiterated Kyiv's commitment to fight corruption and its desire to join the European Union and NATO military alliance, saying "there is no alternative to this path". European allies had worried the law would undermine anti-corruption reforms key to Ukraine's bid to join the EU. Ukraine's top anti-corruption investigator said last Friday that he did not expect attempts to derail his agency's work to end despite Zelensky's U-turn. NABU director Semen Kryvonos said he was taken aback by the attempt to curtail his agency's fight against graft but did not name those who may have been behind the legislation. "Everyone united around the idea of ruining our independence," Kryvonos told Reuters in an interview in Kyiv, referring to parliament passing the controversial measures. "This was a shock for me – how much demand had built up to destroy us." It remains to be seen whether members of the parliament, which is mostly loyal to Zelensky, will approve the new version. Commentators and Ukrainian media feared some lawmakers under potential investigation by the agencies may be reluctant to support the new bill. Thirty-one MPs were mentioned in NABU's investigations, SAPO said in a statement on Wednesday.
Euronews
3 hours ago
- Euronews
European dockworkers demand halt to arms shipments to Israel
European dockworkers are calling on EU governments to halt arms shipments and withdraw diplomatic support for Israel. They stress that international treaties state that weapons should not be exported to war zones where human rights are violated. 'Over the past two years, we've seen an increase in the movement of weapons through civilian ports,' says Josè Nivoi, a key figure in the Genoese dockworkers' movement. 'We've filed a number of legal complaints. An excuse they often use is that they frame it as a private transaction rather than a state-to-state arms transfer — as if they were trading bananas.' For years Nivoi has collected evidence about arms cargo loads in the port as a union manager. Dockworkers accuse authorities of deliberately keeping silent about controversial shipments. 'In Italy, Law no. 185 of 1990 in principle prohibits the transit and shipment of weapons to countries at war. We are calling for civilian ports not to be used to move arms.' In 2024, Italy announced that it had suspended shipments of military equipment to Israel, while honouring contracts signed before 7 October 2023. This translates into over €6 million in weapons, ammunition, maintenance and spare parts. Facts and figures on Israel's weapons' imports Israel imports almost 70% of its arsenal from the US, the world's largest arms exporter. Germany is Israel's second supplier. Since 7 October 2023, it has exported 485 million euros worth of weapons. Italy ranks third, supplying less than 1%. The UN Arms Trade Treaty and the European Common Position state that human rights violations and war crimes should prevent such sales. The EU Council Common Position is legally binding but it lacks enforcement. Member states can interpret it differently. Following the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, Italy, Spain, Belgium and the Netherlands have halted or restricted exports. There's little scrutiny over Hamas' weapons, mostly from Iran, which has not signed the UN arms trade treaty. Why does Israel receive military support from EU countries? The EU recently found that Israel is breaching its human rights obligations in Gaza. So why does Israel still receive military support from European countries? Giorgio Beretta, one of the most authoritative Italian analysts on the arms trade and a long-standing voice of the Italian Peace and Disarmament Network, explains that treaties are voluntary and then each country must commit to them. 'The regulations are sound. The problem lies in their enforcement, because there is always a wide margin of discretion,' says Giorgio Beretta of the Permanent Observatory on Small Arms, OPAL. Beretta says the information provided to national governments, which are responsible for ensuring weapons are not used to commit human rights violations, is often too vague. 'A general category might be indicated, such as 'aircraft' or 'naval vessels', but there's a big difference between aircraft used for ground attacks and aircraft used for rescue. By the time a parliament reviews exports, the weapons have often already been delivered.' In May, the EU announced a review of the EU-Israel Association Agreement after finding Israel in breach of the trade deal's human rights clause, citing violations in Gaza and the West Bank. By July, the EU had postponed any actions, let alone any sanctions, including a possible arms embargo — yet again exposing its deep-rooted divisions over Israel.
