Unification Ministry Official on Kim Yo-jong's Statement: "Mutual Respect and Consideration Required"

A senior Unification Ministry official responded to North Korean Workers' Party Deputy Department Director Kim Yo-jong's statement yesterday (Aug. 20) — which derided Seoul as being in a "pitiable plight" over scaled-back South Korea-U.S. joint military drills — by stating that "consideration and respect for the other party are necessary."

Meeting with reporters today, the senior official said, "The peace regime on the Korean Peninsula cannot be achieved unless the South and the North look in the same direction," adding, "In that regard, there should be no denigration or distortion."

The official continued, "Basically, the core of the process toward becoming a normal state is consideration and respect for the other party," and asked rhetorically, "Isn't the North also trying to become a normal state?"

The Unification Ministry also issued a stance regarding Kim Yo-jong's harsh statement.

The ministry stated, "The government will consistently and unwaveringly pursue a policy of peaceful coexistence on the Korean Peninsula without being swayed by any difficult circumstances," and urged, "We also urge the North not to distort our commitment to peace on the Korean Peninsula, but to join us on the journey to transform the unstable armistice regime into a peace regime for the mutual benefit and safety of both South and North Korea."

It added, "The journey toward a peace regime on the Korean Peninsula can only be completed to the end when the South and the North go together."

North Korean Workers' Party Deputy Department Director Kim Yo-jong released a statement yesterday evening mocking Seoul as being in a "pitiable plight" regarding the scaling back of the South Korea-U.S. joint military exercises that concluded today upon a surprise directive by U.S. President Trump, while also criticizing President Lee Jae-myung by name.

(Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Unification, Yonhap News) (Photo captured from the Rodong Sinmun homepage, Yonhap News)

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