Kim Yo Jong urges Seoul to show utmost respect before normalising ties
North Korea’s senior official Kim Yo Jong said South Korea must demonstrate the highest respect if it wants to restore relations, after Pyongyang denied involvement in a DMZ mine explosion that injured three soldiers.
In a televised address, Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korea’s leader, urged the South Korean government to act with “utmost respect, consideration and sincerity” if it truly wishes to mend relations between the two Koreas. Her remarks followed Pyongyang’s denial of responsibility for a mine explosion in the Demilitarised Zone that injured three South Korean soldiers last month. The South Korean military has demanded an official apology, calling the incident a clear violation of the 1953 Armistice Agreement.
Meanwhile, Seoul’s civilian leadership has appealed to the North to return to diplomatic talks. The United Nations Command, together with South Korean officials, attributes the blast to mines placed by North Korea on the southern side of the border. The exchange underscores the fragile state of inter-Korean relations and the diplomatic sensitivities surrounding any incident in the heavily fortified DMZ.
Why it matters
The demand for respect highlights ongoing tensions and the delicate path toward peace on the Korean peninsula.
How this story developed
- Sep 22 EU prepares sanctions on North Korean elite camp hosting Ukrainian children
- Sep 24 Zelenskyy publicly announced the transfer of the two North Korean POWs at the UN General Assembly.
- Sep 27 Parliamentary opposition pressed the government for a public rationale after the UN disclosure.
- Sep 29 South Korea formally summoned Ukraine’s chargé d’affaires and demanded an apology for the UN disclosure.
- Sep 29 Independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon and People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok claimed the military rejected United Nations Command demands for swift site access after the September 21 blasts that injured three soldiers. They argue the delay was meant to conceal evidence of a North Korean wooden-box mine and that the joint investigation was only advanced after public pressure. South Korean and UNC personnel entered the DMZ on Saturday to secure a route and prepare for the upcoming probe.
- Oct 2 South Korean intelligence briefed the National Assembly's Intelligence Committee about Ukraine's request for secrecy in the transfer.
- Oct 2 President Lee publicly warned Ukraine of possible retaliation if it does not apologise for the disclosure.
- Oct 3 Kim Yo‑jong publicly dismissed Seoul’s apology demand as despicable.
- Oct 5 South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff says North Korea intentionally placed two mines that exploded in the DMZ on Sept. 21, injuring three soldiers.
- Oct 6 Diesel loaded at South Korean ports was shipped on sanctioned vessels to Russia, raising concerns about sanctions compliance during the Ukraine conflict.
- Oct 6 Seoul announced it will examine diplomatic measures in response to the mine blasts.
- Oct 7 Seoul said it will formally cite the mine incident as a breach of the 1953 armistice and urged restoration of the DMZ to its original state.
- Oct 8 Seoul announced an examination of the diesel transactions following Ukraine’s claim.
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