SEOUL, April 8 (Reuters) – A top North Korean official said on Tuesday South Korea’s “true colours” as an enemy state would never change, tempering optimism in Seoul that a recent exchange over drone incursions had opened the door to improved ties.
In a statement carried by state media KCNA late on Tuesday, Jang Kum Chol, a first vice minister and department director at North Korea’s foreign ministry, criticised what he called “hope-filled dream reading” in South Korea after Pyongyang’s rare acceptance of President Lee Jae Myung’s expression of regret over the incident.
Jang said the statement issued the previous night by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s powerful sister Kim Yo Jong amounted to a warning to Seoul, rather than a conciliatory signal, and dismissed interpretations that it reflected friendly intentions or high-level consensus between the two sides.
“The identity of the ROK, the enemy state most hostile to the DPRK, can never change with any words or conduct,” Jang was quoted as saying, using the formal acronyms for South and North Korea.
The main point of Kim Yo Jong’s statement, he added, is that the South should acknowledge its wrongdoing, prevent any recurrence and refrain from actions that could further provoke Pyongyang.
The remarks contrast with Seoul’s assessment that Kim’s earlier comments — describing Lee’s apology and pledge to prevent a recurrence as “very fortunate and wise” — marked meaningful progress toward easing military tensions, even as Pyongyang reiterated that South Korea should refrain from attempts at contact.
Jang, who previously headed a now-defunct department handling ties with South Korea, returned to the political spotlight at last month’s ruling Workers’ Party congress as a key figure shaping Pyongyang’s foreign policy.
(Reporting by Kyu-seok ShimEditing by Rod Nickel)
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