Text/Look at The Koreans
Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and vice minister of the Workers' Party's Central Committee, flatly rejected a proposal by South Korea's new president, Yoon Seok-jong, that "if North Korea gives up its nuclear weapons, South Korea will help the isolated country revitalize its economy."
Kim Yo Jong responded publicly in a statement released by North Korea's state news agency KCNA that "it is better for his image to keep his mouth shut." Kim also said Yoon Seok-joon thought he could trade economic cooperation for North Korea's honor and nuclear weapons, "really simple and still childish," adding that "no one is going to give up their fate for a corncake."
South Korea's unification minister, Kwon Yong Se, said in parliament on Friday that kim yo-jong was "deeply disrespectful and indecent" about Kim Yoon-jong's criticism of Yoon Seok-wook's remarks. Kwon also believes that this move is not good for North Korea and not conducive to peace on the Korean Peninsula, and the reaction of the North Korean side is expected, and the South Korean side will continue to persuade Pyongyang to return to the negotiating table.
In addition, the ROK Presidential Office also expressed regret, saying that the DPRK's naming and distorting the ROK's "bold ideas" will only aggravate diplomatic isolation, and the ROK will adhere to the position of realizing the denuclearization of the DPRK and developing inter-Korean relations, and call on the DPRK to think carefully.
Kim Yo Jong's remarks marked the first time senior North Korean officials had directly commented on what South Korean President Yoon Seok-Youl called a "bold plan." Under the plan, if North Korea begins denuclearization, South Korea will provide phased economic assistance to North Korea. Earlier, Yin Xiyue reiterated the proposal at a press conference 100 days after taking office.
Some experts said South Korea's new president, Yoon Seok-yue, echoed proposals from previous South Korean presidents, including those made during the failed summits of U.S. Presidents Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un in 2018 and 2019, and said it was almost impossible for Pyongyang to accept it.
"North Korea invests a large portion of its gross domestic product in its weapons program and has long made it clear that it sees its nuclear capabilities as self-defense," a necessary condition for protecting itself in the face of "hostile" policies by the United States, South Korea, and Japan.
Scott Snyder, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations think tank, said in a blog post on Thursday: "[South Korean President] Yoon Seok-yue's initiative is another in a long list of failed proposals that include South Korea's pledge to provide economic benefits to North Korea... These assumptions are the same as those behind a series of failed efforts to push for denuclearization negotiations. Scott Snyder added that "the severity of North Korea's economic fragility will make the leadership more resistant to South Korea's proposed infrastructure projects." ”
Meanwhile, the KCNA statement suggests that North Korea has no intention of holding talks with South Korea's new president, Yoon Seok-yue. Kim Yo-jong was quoted as saying, "While he (Yoon Seok-wook) may knock on the door in the future with his 'bold plan' that won't work, we make it clear that we won't come face to face with him." ”
The KCNA report also confirmed that North Korea tested two cruise missiles into the sea on Wednesday, the first test in weeks since the North's leader announced victory over COVID-19. North Korea has also conducted an unprecedented wave of weapons tests this year, including the launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile for the first time since 2017. Under "international sanctions" imposed on North Korea's nuclear weapons program, North Korea is barred from conducting ballistic missile tests. North Korea last tested nuclear weapons in September 2017; However, officials in South Korea and the United States believe North Korea is preparing for a new round of nuclear tests.