North Korea has firmly turned down South Korea’s recent attempt to improve ties, according to Kim Yo-jong, the sister of leader Kim Jong-un, Yonhap reports. In a statement on August 14, she rejected Seoul’s assertion that the North had dismantled some of its propaganda loudspeakers positioned along the inter-Korean border.

Kim reiterated that Pyongyang has repeatedly made clear it has no interest in mending relations with the Republic of Korea, South Korea’s official name. She added that this stance is so resolute it will eventually be written into the country’s constitution.

Addressing the reports about loudspeaker removal, Kim stressed that no such action has been taken and that there is no intention of doing so. The devices, often used for broadcasting propaganda towards the South, remain in place.

She also dismissed the significance of recent modifications to the joint military exercises planned between Seoul and Washington. These adjustments, she said, should not be seen as a gesture worthy of recognition and would ultimately achieve nothing.

The statement underscores the continuing hostility between the two Koreas despite intermittent diplomatic efforts, with Pyongyang making it clear that its position remains unchanged.