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North Korea rejects Seoul's push for dialogue

North Korea rejects Seoul's push for dialogue

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Kim Yo-jong, a senior North Korean ruling party official who is believed to speak for the country's leader, said Lee's pledge of commitment to a South Korea-US security alliance showed he was no different from his hostile predecessor.
'If South Korea expects to reverse all the consequences of [its actions] with a few sentimental words, there could be no greater miscalculation than that,' Kim said in comments carried by official KCNA news agency.
Lee, who took office on June 4 after winning a snap election called after the removal of hardline conservative
Yoon Suk-yeol over a failed attempt at martial law, has
vowed to improve ties with Pyongyang that have reached the worst level in years.
South Korean President Lee Jae-myung has vowed to improve ties with Pyongyang. Photo: Presidential Office/EPA
Chang Yong-seok, a senior researcher at Seoul National University's Institute for Peace and Unification Studies, said North Korea wanted the South to take specific steps if it genuinely wanted to reduce tensions.
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