"North Korea's Kim Yo-jong Likely Very Upset by Special Envoy Cards Jeong Eui-yong and Suh Hoon"

Gyeongnam University Inter-Korean Relations Seminar - Professor Lee Jeongcheol of Soongsil University Claims
"South Korea Trusted Its Words and Entered North Korea-US Talks, but 'No Deal' Was the Worst Outcome"
"Those Responsible for the 'No Deal' Were Jeong Eui-yong and Seo Hoon, Who Could Not Possibly Accept It"

Kim Yo-jong, First Deputy Director of the Workers' Party and younger sister of North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un

There is a claim that Kim Yo-jong, the First Deputy Director of the Workers' Party, publicly rejected South Korea's special envoy card due to displeasure toward the designated special envoys, 'Jung Eui-yong, Director of the National Security Office, and Suh Hoon, Director of the National Intelligence Service.' After the second North Korea-U.S. summit ended in a no-deal and a large-scale purge of the inter-Korean line, North Korea underwent personnel reshuffling. North Korea views Director Jung and Director Suh as 'responsible for the Hanoi no-deal on the South Korean side,' and it is analyzed that they could not possibly accept these individuals coming as special envoys as they are.

On the 18th, Professor Lee Jung-chul of Soongsil University said at the 66th Unification Strategy Forum hosted by the Far East Institute of Kyungnam University in Samcheong-dong, Seoul, "Regarding why North Korea did not accept the special envoys, we need to question whether the South properly offered a suitable special envoy card to North Korea," making this point.

Professor Lee evaluated that South Korea succeeded in persuading North Korea to lead the North Korea-U.S. dialogue, but failed to guarantee the results. He pointed out, "First Deputy Kim may have been very displeased when Director Jung and Director Suh, who had persuaded them, said they would come as special envoys." South Korea trusted them and approached the North Korea-U.S. dialogue with cards such as the Yongbyon nuclear dismantlement, but the dialogue ultimately ended in no deal. The sense of betrayal toward South Korea could only have reached its peak.

He analyzed, "North Korea underwent significant personnel measures, such as Chairman Kim Jong-un not running for the Supreme People's Assembly delegate position, effectively a self-criticism, and First Deputy Kim giving up her position for a year. Having undergone such reprimands for the no-deal, there must have been a sense of 'Isn't it you who are responsible? Is it right to send those people as special envoys?'"

Professor Lee emphasized that to overcome the current phase of inter-Korean relations, "personnel measures on the South Korean side are the most urgent."

Additionally, Professor Lee argued that in a situation where North Korea has declared the breakdown of inter-Korean relations and threatens military measures, a large-scale inter-Korean cooperation project worth about one trillion won should be implemented to maintain peace on the Korean Peninsula.

He said, "Among the strategies the South Korean government can take are retaliation and deterrence, but there can also be a maximum ignoring strategy or a peace-buying strategy."

Professor Lee stated, "What North Korea desperately wants is rice and fertilizer," and "It is necessary to publicize large-scale cooperation projects regarding this." North Korea convened a Political Bureau meeting of the Party on the 8th and raised the fertilizer issue as the first agenda item, which is explained as showing North Korea's urgent internal situation.

Furthermore, as part of health cooperation projects, Professor Lee proposed including health cooperation for the Pyongyang General Hospital under construction in North Korea in the aid package. He emphasized, "It is necessary to consider a package cooperation plan worth 500 billion to one trillion won covering food, fertilizer, and healthcare."

He said the fundamental cause of the current tense situation is the North Korea-U.S. confrontation due to the no-deal at the Hanoi North Korea-U.S. summit in February last year, and the direct cause is North Korea's dissatisfaction with inter-Korean relations, such as leaflets. He emphasized, "If the current situation where North Korea-U.S. relations are unresolved does not improve, pursuing deterrence through compensation could be the most flexible strategy."

On the 18th, at Jeongsan Hall of the University of North Korean Studies in Samcheong-dong, Seoul, the 66th Unification Strategy Forum hosted by the Kyungnam University Institute of Far Eastern Studies took place.

Meanwhile, North Korea's Korean Central News Agency reported on the 17th that Kim Yo-jong, First Deputy Director of the Workers' Party, rejected South Korea's proposal on the 15th to dispatch Jung Eui-yong, Director of the National Security Office, and Suh Hoon, Director of the National Intelligence Service, as special envoys.

The agency stated, "On the 15th, the South Korean authorities staged a cheap clown show pleading to dispatch special envoys," adding, "Flustered by our ultra-strong retaliatory offensive against the enemy, the South Korean side pleaded that President Moon Jae-in wishes to send special envoys to our State Affairs Commission Chairman Comrade (Kim Jong-un), naming Jung Eui-yong and Suh Hoon as special envoys, stating that the visit timing would be the earliest possible date and that they would respect the date desired by our side."

It continued, "Regarding the South's hasty dispatch of such a notice without consideration, Kim Yo-jong, First Deputy Director of the Party Central Committee, clearly informed that this impure proposal, which shows an obvious trick, is thoroughly rejected."

The agency particularly targeted President Moon Jae-in, warning, "The South Korean ruler has become thoroughly addicted to the 'crisis-overcoming' special envoy dispatch game and frequently makes absurd proposals, but now they must clearly understand that this will no longer work."

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