Kuwait city: South Korea announced on Monday that it will persistently implement necessary measures to foster peace on the Korean Peninsula, following North Korea's rejection of President Lee Jae Myung's proposal to reopen dialogue, as reported by Yonhap News Agency, citing the Presidential Office. According to Kuwait News Agency, earlier in the day, Kim Yo-jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, criticized President Lee Jae Myung's administration for "blindly adhering" to the South Korea-US alliance, asserting that Pyongyang will not engage in talks with Seoul. The Presidential Office acknowledged Pyongyang's first official statement on inter-Korean affairs since Lee's inauguration in early June. They noted the significant distrust between the two Koreas, stemming from years of hostility and confrontation. The office emphasized that the government will continuously take necessary steps to ensure a Korean Peninsula devoid of hostility and conflict, aligning with the Lee administrat ion's steadfast principle of establishing a peaceful state without the need for conflict. In efforts to repair strained relations with the North, President Lee has taken significant steps since taking office last month. He has suspended military- and spy agency-operated propaganda broadcasts targeting the North and has urged civic groups to cease propaganda leaflet campaigns, aiming to mend ties with North Korea and resume dialogue. Previously, in late 2023, Pyongyang declared the two Koreas as separate "hostile" countries and began dismantling inter-Korean concepts, such as unification, while suspending its broadcasting channels aimed at Seoul.
