North Korea Rejects South Korean Proposals for Dialogue

Kim Yo Jong emphasized that North Korea has no interest in discussions with South Korea, viewing relations as irreversibly state-to-state.

KOREAN PENINSULA — On July 28, 2025, Kim Yo Jong, vice department director of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, issued a press statement rejecting all policies and proposals from South Korea.

Kim Yo Jong

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It dismissed measures such as suspending anti-North Korea broadcasts and leaflet scattering as reversible and not worthy of appreciation. Kim Yo Jong emphasized that North Korea has no interest in discussions with South Korea, viewing relations as irreversibly state-to-state.

The phrase "irreversibly state-to-state" in the context of DPRK-ROK relations refers to North Korea's declaration that interactions between the two Koreas are permanently defined as those between separate sovereign states, rather than as intra-national or ethnic kin relations aimed at eventual reunification.

This shift abandons the traditional view of the Korean people as homogeneous, treating South Korea as a distinct and potentially hostile entity. North Korean statements indicate this change is irreversible, emphasizing fixed state-to-state dynamics without prospects for reconciliation under prior frameworks.

The remarks rejected invitations for Kim Jong Un to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Gyeongju as a misunderstanding. Proposals to normalize South Korea's unification ministry were dismissed, with suggestions for its dissolution.

North Korea also highlighted its advancements during periods of confrontation and concluded that the concept of homogeneous relations is obsolete.

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