Kim Yo-jong and the Ministry of Unification Take the Lead as Inter-Korean Leaders Step Back

On the 7th, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un held the 13th Political Bureau meeting of the 7th Central Committee of the Workers' Party to discuss measures for developing a self-reliant economy and improving the people's living standards, the Rodong Sinmun reported on the 8th.

North Korea announced that it is shifting its inter-Korean affairs to a 'hostile affairs' approach, appointing Kim Yo-jong, the First Deputy Director of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party, at the forefront. The South Korean government has unified its North Korea response channel under the Ministry of Unification, the dedicated department for North Korea affairs. Amid the worsening inter-Korean relations, North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un has taken a step back, and the South Korean side is responding only to match the level without direct involvement from the Blue House. However, the fact that Kim Yo-jong is Kim Jong-un's younger sister and effectively the 'second-in-command' is a significant variable. There are concerns that North Korea may refuse to recognize the Ministry of Unification as a dialogue partner and instead further intensify its disregard for South Korea.

On the 9th, North Korea declared the closure of all communication channels between the two Koreas, including the Blue House, officially stating that the directive came from Kim Yo-jong and Kim Yong-chol, Vice Chairman of the Party Central Committee. Notably, Jang Kum-chol, head of the United Front Department (UFD), which is responsible for inter-Korean affairs, was not mentioned.

The South Korean government is carefully monitoring the situation and responding cautiously. Regarding North Korea's actions, the Blue House stated on the same day, "Please refer to the Ministry of Unification's announcement," without issuing a separate position. Since Kim Yo-jong mentioned the possibility of canceling the Mount Kumgang tours, completely dismantling the Kaesong Industrial Complex, closing the inter-Korean joint liaison office, and potentially nullifying the September 19 inter-Korean military agreement over the issue of leaflet (pira) distribution on the 4th, the government has unified its North Korea response channel under the Ministry of Unification and the Blue House has refrained from making separate statements. This cautious approach also reflects the lack of viable solutions.

However, given that North Korea's recent messages have come through Kim Yo-jong, it is difficult to underestimate their weight, and the prevailing assessment is that inter-Korean relations could be pushed to the brink as she predicted. Furthermore, as Kim Yo-jong is North Korea's de facto second-in-command, there are concerns that she may not view the Ministry of Unification as a counterpart but rather intensify hostility toward South Korea and deepen animosity.

In fact, North Korea has recently treated Kim Yo-jong's messages as directives from the supreme leader. On the 10th, North Korean state-run and propaganda media eagerly introduced voices of condemnation from various sectors within North Korea, continuously expressing strong hostility and dissatisfaction toward South Korean authorities. Therefore, the fact that Kim Yo-jong has stepped forward to declare the breakdown of inter-Korean relations is widely seen as not a one-time event. Yoon Gun-young, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea who oversaw the three inter-Korean summits, expressed concern regarding North Korea's announcement, saying, "This should not be interpreted simply as a warning," and "It is a situation that must be taken very seriously," which aligns with this perspective.

However, considering that Kim Jong-un himself has not directly intervened and that there is no direct targeting of former President Moon Jae-in, some analysts suggest that there remains room for reversal. Hong Min, head of the North Korea Research Division at the Korea Institute for National Unification, interpreted, "The fact that Kim Jong-un is taking a step back indicates that he is considering the possibility of a turnaround in inter-Korean relations."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.