Seoul, October 2026 : North Korea has rejected South Korea’s plan to send medical supplies as humanitarian assistance to Pyongyang, describing the proposed aid as an “insult” and a politically motivated provocation amid worsening inter-Korean relations.
Kim Yo-jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, criticised the proposal in a statement released through the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). She accused Seoul of using humanitarian assistance as a political tool and said Pyongyang had no intention of engaging in exchanges or cooperation with South Korea.
South Korea’s Unification Ministry had announced plans to send medical assistance to a hospital in Pyongyang under a humanitarian medical support programme. The proposed package includes 1,431 medical items across 166 categories, covering equipment and supplies required for medical examinations, surgery and treatment.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the ministry had obtained an exemption from the UN Security Council sanctions committee on North Korea in May to facilitate the planned shipment.
However, Kim Yo-jong dismissed the initiative in strongly worded remarks, calling it a “noisy and crude act” and “another drama”.
“This is an insult to our country, a politically motivated provocation against us and a serious violation of our national law,” she said.
Kim also linked the proposed medical assistance to a recent dispute over explosions along the inter-Korean border. South Korea had officially concluded that North Korean landmines were responsible for explosions on September 21 that injured three South Korean soldiers. Pyongyang has rejected that assessment.
Referring to the medical aid plan, Kim said South Korea had staged another “drama” after the previous episode failed to attract sufficient attention.
“Now that it is impossible to expect good box-office records from their shabby drama, they have created another drama called the ‘medical equipment aid scene’,” she said, describing it as a second part of what she called the “landmine explosion case”.
Kim reiterated that North Korea had no intention of improving relations with Seoul. Referring to South Korea by its official name, the Republic of Korea (ROK), she said Pyongyang had no reason to exchange with or cooperate with the South.
“We have nothing to exchange or cooperate with the ROK, nor is there any need to face it,” she said.
She further accused South Korea of maintaining what she described as a hostile policy towards the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), North Korea’s official name.
The rejection comes as channels for inter-Korean dialogue and humanitarian exchanges have largely remained inactive amid deteriorating relations. North Korea’s response also raised doubts over whether the proposed medical supplies would be accepted or delivered.
Earlier on Thursday, a South Korean Unification Ministry official acknowledged that the shipment was unlikely to proceed as originally planned. The government is expected to seek an extension from the United Nations for the validity of the sanctions exemption.
The latest development highlights the continuing difficulties facing Seoul’s efforts to maintain humanitarian engagement with Pyongyang despite the broader breakdown in inter-Korean relations. While South Korea has continued to emphasise humanitarian assistance separately from political and security disputes, North Korea has repeatedly rejected initiatives from Seoul that it views as politically motivated.
(Disclaimer :The content of this article is sourced from a news agency and has not been edited by the Mavericknews30 team.)
