Kim Jong-un’s sister warned the US about “false expectations” of dialogue

Kim Yo-jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, warned the United States today about its “false expectations” of dialogue with Pyongyang, after Washington reached out again to talks with the regime.

In a statement collected this Tuesday by the state agency KCNA, Kim Yo-jong thus referred to comments by the White House national security adviser, Jack Sullivan, who said that the North had sent “an interesting signal” about its readiness for dialogue, in statements to the American network ABC.

“The expectations they have falsely chosen to hold could plunge them into even greater disappointment.“Said the dictator’s sister, who added that the United States “seems to have interpreted the situation in a way in which it seeks to comfort itself”.

Kim Yo-jong, who holds the position of deputy director of propaganda of the Central Committee of the North Korean single party, thus hardened the tone of the regime against the US, after the Supreme Leader of the North affirmed last week that the country must prepare “for both dialogue and confrontation” with Washington.

The new message from the regime coincides with the visit to South Korea of ​​the US special envoy for the North, Sung Kim, to meet with his counterparts in Seoul and Japan and discuss a possible return to the negotiating table with Pyongyang.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un speaks during the opening of the 3rd Plenary Meeting of the 8th Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK), in Pyongyang, North Korea, in this undated photo released on June 16, 2021 by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

“We continue to hope that the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK, North Korea’s official name) will respond positively to our approach and our offer to meet anywhere and anytime without preconditions,” said the White House special envoy. after the trilateral meeting the day before.

The mention of the North Korean leader’s dialogue was interpreted as the first positive message in this sense of Kim Jong-un towards the US since the arrival at the White House of President Joe Biden, whose administration is committed to an intermediate diplomatic path to that of his predecessors.

It remains to be seen what the regime’s true position will be on potential nuclear disarmament negotiations, at a time when the country is going through a delicate food situation due to its greater isolation as a result of the pandemic, international sanctions and poor harvests.

The US envoy will continue on Tuesday with his meeting schedule in Seoul, where he will hold a meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, among other senior positions in his Executive.