Kim Jong Un's sister rejects outreach by South Korea's new president
Kim Yo Jong's comments imply that North Korea - now preoccupied with its expanding cooperation with Russia - sees no need to resume diplomacy with South Korea and the US anytime soon. Experts say she likely hopes to drive a wedge between Seoul and Washington. "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,' 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 with a promise 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.
North Korea has shunned 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 and declared a hostile "two-state' system on the Korean Peninsula to terminate relations with South Korea.
Kim Yo Jong called Lee's steps "sincere efforts' to develop ties, but said the new government still "stands in confrontation' with North Korea. She mentioned the upcoming summertime South Korea-U.S. military drills, which North Korea views as an invasion rehearsal. South Korea's Unification Ministry responded that it will steadfastly seek reconciliation with North Korea to realize peaceful co-existence. Spokesperson Koo Byoungsam told reporters that the statement shows North Korea closely monitors the Lee government's North Korea policy despite deep mistrust.
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Arab Times
6 hours ago
- Arab Times
Kim Jong Un's sister rejects outreach by South Korea's new president
SEOUL, South Korea, July 28, (AP): The influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un rebuffed overtures by South Korea's new liberal government, saying Monday that its "blind trust' in the country's alliance with the US and hostility toward North Korea make it no different from its conservative predecessor. Kim Yo Jong's comments imply that North Korea - now preoccupied with its expanding cooperation with Russia - sees no need to resume diplomacy with South Korea and the US anytime soon. Experts say she likely hopes to drive a wedge between Seoul and Washington. "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,' 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 with a promise 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. North Korea has shunned 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 and declared a hostile "two-state' system on the Korean Peninsula to terminate relations with South Korea. Kim Yo Jong called Lee's steps "sincere efforts' to develop ties, but said the new government still "stands in confrontation' with North Korea. She mentioned the upcoming summertime South Korea-U.S. military drills, which North Korea views as an invasion rehearsal. South Korea's Unification Ministry responded that it will steadfastly seek reconciliation with North Korea to realize peaceful co-existence. Spokesperson Koo Byoungsam told reporters that the statement shows North Korea closely monitors the Lee government's North Korea policy despite deep mistrust.
Arab Times
6 hours ago
- Arab Times
Cambodian and Thai leaders hold ceasefire talks in Malaysia
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, July 28, (AP): Ceasefire talks have started between Thai and Cambodian leaders in Malaysia in an urgent effort to resolve deadly border clashes that entered a fifth day despite mounting international calls for peace. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and Thai Acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai gathered Monday for the meeting at the official residence of Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim who is hosting the negotiations as chair of the regional bloc, Association of Southeast Asian Nations. The fighting flared last Thursday after a land mine explosion along the border wounded five Thai soldiers. Both sides blamed each other for starting the clashes, that have killed at least 35 people and displaced more than 260,000 people on both sides. Both countries recalled their ambassadors and Thailand shut all border crossings with Cambodia, with an exception for migrant Cambodian workers returning home. Troops from both sides reported ongoing fighting Monday along border areas. Gunfire could be heard as dawn broke in Samrong in Cambodia's Oddar Meanchey province, Associated Press reporters covering the conflict said. Maly Socheata, a Cambodian defense ministry spokesperson, said the Thai assault was "ongoing and strong' on Monday. Anwar said late Sunday that both sides would present their conditions for peace but "what is important is immediate ceasefire.' "I hope this can work,' Anwar was quoted as saying by Malaysian national news agency Bernama. "Although it's not as bad as many other countries, we have to put a stop (to the violence).' The meeting followed direct pressure from USPresident Donald Trump, who has warned that the United States may not proceed with trade deals with either country if hostilities continue. Before departing for Kuala Lumpur, Phumtham told reporters in Bangkok that representatives from China and the US will also attend as observers. He said the key focus would be on an immediate ceasefire, but noted trust could be an issue as Cambodia has not stopped its strikes. "We have informed that we don't have trust in Cambodia. All they have done reflect that they are not sincere in solving this problem. So they have to show the detail how they will do to prove their sincerity,' he said. Officials later said that the Chinese and American ambassadors to Malaysia are attending the meeting. The violence marks a rare instance of open military confrontation between ASEAN member states, a 10-nation regional bloc that has prided itself on non-aggression, peaceful dialogue and economic cooperation.
Arab Times
a day ago
- Arab Times
Trump's meeting with a key European official comes as tariff deadline nears
EDINBURGH, Scotland, July 27, (AP): Donald Trump is meeting Sunday with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, taking a break from golfing in Scotland to discuss trade as both sides seek an agreement on tariff rates now that the White House's deadline to impose stiff tariff rates is looming. Trump played golf Saturday at his course in Turnberry on the southwest coast of Scotland and is expected to hit the links again frequently during his five-day visit. On Tuesday, he'll be in Aberdeen, in northeast Scotland, where his family has another golf course and is opening a third next month. Trump and his son Eric are planning to help cut the ribbon on the new course, where public tee times starting Aug. 13 are already on offer. The visit with von der Leyen is expected to be behind closed doors and few further details have been released. Leaving the White House on Friday, Trump said "we have a 50-50 chance, maybe less than that, but a 50-50 chance of making a deal with the EU.' He said the deal would have to "buy down' the currently scheduled tariff rate of 30% on the bloc of 27 member states. Later, von der Leyen posted on X that, "Following a good call' with Trump, the pair had 'agreed to meet in Scotland on Sunday to discuss transatlantic trade relations, and how we can keep them strong.' The US and EU seemed close to reaching a deal earlier this month, but Trump instead threatened a 30% tariff rate on the bloc of nations. Still, Trump's original deadline for beginning such tariffs has already passed, and is now delayed until at least Friday. Flying to Scotland to enjoy his golf courses hasn't stopped the president from talking trade. After going to Turnberry to play nine holes, have lunch, then play nine more, Trump posted that he'd block any trade deals between the US and Cambodia and Thailand since the two southeast Asian countries remain locked in violent clashes in long-disputed border areas. Trump wrote that he spoke with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and Phumtham Wechayachai, the acting prime minister of Thailand, to call for a ceasefire. "I am trying to simplify a complex situation!' he wrote on Truth Social after disclosing his conversation with the Cambodian leader. After speaking with Wechayachai, Trump said both countries want peace and added: "Ceasefire, Peace, and Prosperity seems to be a natural.' The actual likelihood of a deal with the EU, meanwhile, remains to be seen. Trump recently said he thought the odds of reaching a framework with Japan was 25% - but the U.S. and Japan subsequently announced an agreement this past week.
