Ministry of Unification: "North Korea Attempts to Intervene in South Korean General Election by Dividing Society... Will Not Succeed"

Kim Yo-jong, Deputy Director of the Workers' Party of Korea Photo by Yonhap News

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The Ministry of Unification stated on the 4th that North Korea is attempting to create division within South Korean society and interfere in the general election through remarks by Kim Yo-jong, Deputy Director of the North Korean Workers' Party, and that such attempts will never succeed.

In a statement released that day, the Ministry of Unification said, "Following the year-end Party plenary meeting, North Korea has been threatening and slandering us through Kim Yo-jong's remarks since the beginning of the year, creating tension on the Korean Peninsula and attempting to divide our society," adding, "what is particularly noteworthy is that these attempts at domestic interference have been persistently carried out since last year."

It continued, "Since May of last year, North Korea has devoted more than half of a page in the Rodong Sinmun to exaggerate and distort domestic protests, and since October 17, it has been regularly publishing these reports every Tuesday," adding, "They have been engaging in distorted reporting, such as cleverly inserting photos from protests in September 2019 as if they were from September 2023."

The Ministry of Unification judged that such behavior by North Korea is part of the regime overthrow tactics that North Korea has consistently pursued. In fact, North Korea conducted various propaganda campaigns against the South during the 2012 general election, and also attempted interference during the 2016 and 2020 general elections through GPS jamming and four consecutive ballistic missile launches.

The Ministry of Unification emphasized, "Considering these points, it is important for our citizens to clearly recognize North Korea's attempts to interfere in the general election and remain vigilant," and added, "the government firmly rejects North Korea's malicious attempts to sow division in our society and clearly states that such attempts will never succeed."

Furthermore, it said, "North Korea, through the Party plenary meetings, claims that it has pursued reconciliation and unification, but it is misleadingly suggesting that it is fundamentally changing its policy toward the South because of the current government, thereby attempting to divide public opinion," adding, "this is not true. The Kim Jong-un regime's perception of unification and its policy toward the South have been a consistent continuation of trends that existed before the current government took office."

The Ministry of Unification stated, "North Korea's false propaganda and criticism of our government stem from a sense of crisis and anxiety because the current government, unlike previous administrations, has significantly strengthened deterrence against North Korea's nuclear threats and is pursuing North Korea policy based on universal values and principles," adding, "we urge North Korea to realize as soon as possible that falsehoods can never overcome the truth and to immediately cease its futile attempts to influence our internal affairs."

Earlier, Kim In-ae, Deputy Spokesperson of the Ministry of Unification, strongly criticized Kim Yo-jong's remarks. Deputy Spokesperson Kim said, "(Kim Yo-jong's remarks) are nothing more than a trick by North Korean authorities, who are unfit for their position, to distort and disparage our head of state and government, conceal their intention for armed communist unification, and shift the responsibility for tensions in inter-Korean relations onto the Republic of Korea."

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