Description: North Korea’s chief of propaganda operations, Kim Yo Jong, and the sister of the country’s leader Kim Jong Un, has debunked any attempts of reconciliation with South Korea and the US. In North Korea’s first public response to recent attempts from South Korea’s new government, Jong stated that recent actions by South Korea in order to ease tensions couldn’t erase historical disputes and years of conflict. Jong also commented on North Korea’s position regarding the US, stating that unless the Trump administration publicly recognized that North Korea is a nuclear power, no breakthroughs in bilateral relations were possible. Trump and Kim Jong Un met three times during the US President’s first term where Trump launched an initiative to denuclearize North Korea which resulted in no concrete steps as sanctions over North Korea remained in place.
Impact: North Korea’s categorical denial of South Korea’s rapprochement efforts diminishes any hopes of bilateral reconciliation as the North maintains its aggressive military stance towards the South and its regional allies. Jong’s statements resonate with North Korea’s recent activities of enhanced rearmament and intensified development of its ballistic missiles program with nuclear capabilities. Even though no significant efforts have been made to reestablish relations neither by South Korea nor by the US, North Korea’s stance subverts the prospects of shifting power dynamics and new diplomatic developments in the region. Military tensions remain high, as North Korea effectively reaffirmed its alignment with Russia and China while remaining economically isolated and under sanctions from the West.