Pyongyang:North Korea rejected South Korea's planned humanitarian shipment of medical supplies on Thursday, calling it "an insult" and "political provocation."
According to Yonhap News Agency, Kim Yo-jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, expressed these views in a statement released by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). The South Korean unification ministry had planned to send 1,431 medical items across 166 categories to a Pyongyang hospital. This effort, part of a humanitarian medical support program, had received a sanctions exemption from the U.N. Security Council's North Korea sanctions committee in May.
Kim Yo-jong criticized the aid offer as "a noisy and ugly act" and likened it to a "farce," a term she previously used to dismiss Seoul's conclusion regarding an incident involving North Korean mines. She accused Seoul of creating another "farce" with the medical aid scenario, paralleling it to the earlier mine explosion case.
Furthermore, Kim reiterated that North Korea has no intention of engaging with South Korea, referring to it by its official name, the Republic of Korea (ROK). She emphasized that there would be no change in the hostile nature of DPRK-ROK relations, using the acronym for North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
With inter-Korean exchanges and dialogue channels minimal amid strained relations, it was uncertain if Pyongyang would accept the aid. Earlier, a South Korean unification ministry official mentioned the slim chances of proceeding with the shipment as planned, indicating that the government would seek another extension from the United Nations.