The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has insisted that her country will never accept Seoul’s offer to revive the North’s economy in exchange for giving up nuclear weapons.
Kim Yo-jong’s comments mark the first time that a senior North Korean official has directly commented on a “bold plan” first proposed by South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol in May.
They came after Yoon reiterated Wednesday at a press conference to celebrate his first 100 days when he was ready to provide gradual economic aid to North Korea if he stopped developing nuclear weapons and started development. of nuclear weapons. denuclearization.
“Thinking that the plan to trade ‘economic cooperation’ for our honor, nuclear weapons, is Yoon’s big dream, hope and plan, we realized it’s really simple and still childish. “Said Kim Yo-jong. in a statement released by the state news agency KCNA.
“Nobody trades their fate for a corn cake”.
“While he may be knocking on the door with (another) big plan in the future as his ‘bold plan’ doesn’t work, we’re making it clear we’re not going to sit face to face with him,” he said. he stated.
Experts say the South’s latest economic plan is similar to the proposals of previous presidents, including those at the top between then-US President Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un.
“Yoon’s initiative adds to a long list of failed deals involving South Korea’s promise to provide economic benefits to North Korea,” said Scott Snyder, senior member of the US think tank Council on Foreign. Reports, in a blog post on Thursday.
“These are the same assumptions that have been the basis of a series of failed attempts to revive the denuclearization talks.
“The sharpness of North Korea’s economic vulnerability will make leaders even more resilient to the infrastructure projects proposed by South Korea.”
North Korea – which last week declared its “victory” over COVID-19 – launched two cruise missiles at sea on Wednesday, the first such test in two months.