The sister of Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un said on Thursday that the country’s constitution will be changed to state that Pyongyang will not improve its relationship with South Korea. Kim Yo Jong previously ruled out talks with South Korea, but said Pyongyang remains open to engaging with the US if Washington drops its demand for denuclearization.
“We have clarified on several occasions that we have no will to improve relations with the Republic of Korea, a faithful servant and ally of the United States, and this conclusive stand and viewpoint will be fixed in our constitution in the future,” she said, according to a statement published by North Korean state media.
“The Republic of Korea stipulated its wild ambition for unification by absorption in its constitution, organized the “US-ROK nuclear consultative group” focusing on preemptive nuclear strike at the DPRK, and regularly holds a confab.” Kim continued, “And it is engrossed in different war drills of aggressive nature, while repeating such a silly talk as ‘denuclearization’ and totally denying our constitution.”
The US and South Korea are preparing to kick off major war games. Pyongyang views the military drills as highly provocative, and typically responds with reciprocal drills and missile tests.
Kim has made several major foreign policy announcements in recent weeks. In July, she unequivocally stated that Pyongyang had no interest in direct talks with Seoul. She pointed to the US-South Korean military relationship as the primary reason for rejecting talks with Seoul, underscoring the tension on the Korean Peninsula.
In a separate statement, Kim explained that Pyongyang would engage with Washington if the US dropped the demand that North Korea denuclearize.
