Pyongyang Dismisses Seoul’s Peace Push as ‘Sentimental Miscalculation

 Kim Yo Jong, sister of leader Kim Jong Un

North Korea has sharply rebuffed recent peace overtures from South Korea, calling them a “great miscalculation” and declaring no interest in dialogue or reconciliation. The statement came from Kim Yo Jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who is widely seen as a key voice in Pyongyang’s foreign policy.

South Korea’s newly elected President Lee Jae Myung had taken steps to ease tensions, including halting anti-North loudspeaker broadcasts and banning activist-led leaflet drops across the border. These moves were intended to signal a shift from the confrontational stance of his predecessor, Yoon Suk Yeol.

However, Kim Yo Jong dismissed the gestures as superficial and insincere. “If South Korea expects to reverse all the consequences of its actions with a few sentimental words, there could be no greater miscalculation than that,” she said via the state-run KCNA news agency.

Despite the rebuke, President Lee emphasized the importance of rebuilding trust between the two nations. South Korea’s Unification Ministry echoed this sentiment, acknowledging the deep wall of distrust but reaffirming its commitment to reconciliation and cooperation.

The exchange comes amid heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula, with both sides marking the anniversary of the Korean War armistice. While South Korea reaffirmed its alliance with the United States, North Korea held a subdued military parade in Pyongyang, notably absent of major weapons and without confirmation of Kim Jong Un’s attendance.

The two Koreas remain technically at war, as the 1950–53 conflict ended in an armistice, not a peace treaty. With Pyongyang’s latest rejection, prospects for renewed dialogue appear grim—at least for now.