Kim Yo Jong, North Korea’s influential State Affairs Commission member, has categorically denied dismantling any propaganda loudspeakers along the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), dismissing South Korea’s claims of a reciprocal peace gesture as a “pipedream”. Her statement, broadcast via the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), asserted that Pyongyang “has never removed loudspeakers and is not willing to remove them,” accusing Seoul of orchestrating a “shabby deceptive farce” to manipulate public opinion and shift blame for tensions.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff reported on August 9 that it observed North Korean troops removing some loudspeakers, a move President Lee Jae Myung hailed as a potential step toward dialogue. However, Colonel Lee Sung-jun later urged caution, noting Pyongyang often makes “claims that are untrue”. Kim Yo Jong countered that Seoul’s assessment was an “unfounded unilateral supposition” designed to embellish its new engagement policy while ignoring Pyongyang’s longstanding grievances.
Kim also rejected recent adjustments to U.S.-South Korea joint military exercises as “futile,” stressing that scaled-back drills still reflect “hostile intent” toward North Korea’s sovereignty. She emphasized that no modifications to these operations, which Pyongyang views as rehearsals for invasion could alter the North’s assessment of Seoul’s alignment with Washington. “Whether the ROK postpones its military exercises or downscales them, we do not care,” she declared.
The rebuke underscores Kim Jong Un’s vow to permanently sever inter-Korean ties, a stance reinforced since President Lee took office in June. Despite Seoul halting its own loudspeaker broadcasts and curbing anti-Pyongyang leafleting, Kim Yo Jong insists these are mere corrections of past “malicious actions,” not genuine overtures. Analysts note Pyongyang’s strengthened alliances with Moscow and Beijing, alongside its nuclear deterrent, have reduced incentives to engage with Seoul.
Kim explicitly ruled out talks with the United States, calling speculation about backchannel communications during the upcoming Trump-Putin summit “a false dream”. She reiterated that North Korea has “nothing to do with the U.S.” and dismissed diplomatic outreach as “obsessed with the irreversible past”. This hardline stance reflects Pyongyang’s shift toward self-reliance amid perceived U.S. intransigence.