Kim Jong-un's sister's bold statement portends bad news for inter-Korean relations?

Kim Yo-jong at Pyongyang International Airport in September 2018. Photo: Yonhap

According to experts' analysis, the statement by Kim Yo-jong - currently holding the position of first deputy director of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea - may also indicate that the prospect of any breakthrough in the currently stagnant inter-Korean relations remains bleak.

Earlier, on the night of March 3, Ms. Kim Yo-jong issued her first official statement, strongly condemning the South Korean Presidential Office (Blue House) for complaining about North Korea's recent short-range projectile launches, asserting that they were only acts of self-defense.

She did not directly criticize South Korean President Moon Jae-in but strongly criticized and scorned the Blue House's "unconscious" and "stupid" behavior, saying that South Korea was demanding an end to North Korea's routine training while pushing for its own military exercises with the United States.

North Korea fired two projectiles believed to be short-range ballistic missiles on March 2, its first such launch in three months. North Korean media later said it was a long-range artillery drill overseen by leader Kim Jong-un.

The Blue House immediately convened a meeting of security-related ministers, expressing deep regret over the recent launches and urging Pyongyang to stop such actions that raise tensions. “North Korea appears to be angry at what it sees as the Blue House’s automatic response and demand to stop the drills despite South Korea’s defensive drills, which have been scaled back due to concerns about the coronavirus,” said Lim Eul-chul, a professor at Kyungnam University’s Institute for Far Eastern Studies. “The initial statement by Kim Yo-jong, a member of the Kim family, should also be interpreted as leader Kim Jong-un’s strongest possible complaint and regret to the South Korean government.”

The launches on March 3 marked the first time North Korea has fired such objects since leader Kim Jong-un earlier this year threatened to show off a “new strategic weapon” and a “shocking actual action” in the near future, asserting that he did not feel bound by his self-imposed moratorium on testing long-range ballistic missiles and nuclear devices.

The development also comes despite South Korea and the United States postponing their spring joint training exercises due to rising coronavirus fears. Kim Yo-jong stressed that the postponement was due to virus concerns, not a peace gesture.

North Korea conducted 13 major weapons tests last year but has been relatively quiet about its military operations in recent months amid the global Covid-19 outbreak. North Korea did not disclose details of the weapon tested this week, but photos released by North Korean media showed a rocket that appeared to be fired from a super-large multiple rocket launcher similar to those tested last year.

Ms. Kim welcomed the South Korean President at the truce village of Panmunjom in May 2018, ahead of the second inter-Korean summit. Photo: Yonhap

Hong Min, a research fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification, said North Korea appeared to be angered by Seoul’s sensitive response even though the March 2 launches were part of a seasonal but scaled-down exercise.

“It appears that North Korea has conducted tests in a significantly scaled-down manner,” he said. “The projectiles believed to be missiles appeared to have been launched from a super-large multiple rocket launcher, a continuation of tests the country has conducted since September last year, and no new weapons were announced.”

“What is interesting is the way North Korean media reported the launches. In the past, there was some kind of message aimed at South Korea and the United States in the reports of these launches, but this time they just gave a pretty simple explanation like Kim’s supervision and his satisfaction,” he added. He said that from North Korea’s perspective, Seoul’s response was completely meaningless.

Experts say Kim Yo-jong's statement may also reveal North Korea's long-standing dissatisfaction with what they see as Seoul's passive attitude toward improving inter-Korean relations for fear of Washington's opposition.

Kim Yo-jong is an iconic figure, closely linked to the warming of inter-Korean relations that led to three historic summits between her brother and President Moon in 2018. She also sent condolences and flowers when Moon's mother passed away last October.

While denuclearization talks are deadlocked, inter-Korean exchanges have also come to a near standstill as Pyongyang remains unresponsive to Seoul's offers for dialogue and cooperation, including its push for individual trips to North Korea and joint efforts to combat the novel coronavirus.

Pyongyang has criticized Seoul for being slow to implement agreements reached by their leaders during three summits in 2018, fearing Washington’s objections. “Since 2018, there has been little implementation of the agreements… As no agreement or proposal has been implemented, North Korea’s anger seems to have boiled over,” Hong said. “It seems that this is not a sudden outburst of anger but rather an expression of its underlying feelings toward South Korea.”

Mr. Hong noted that North Korea's latest criticism may indicate a long-term stalemate in cross-border relations between the two countries, as Pyongyang appears to believe that South Korea is not willing to cooperate.