Powerful sister of North Korean leader denies removal of front-line speakers

The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Thursday dismissed South Korean claims that the North is removing some of its loudspeakers along the inter-Korean border.

SEOUL, South Korea — The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Thursday dismissed South Korean claims that the North is removing some of its loudspeakers along the inter-Korean border, mocking the government in Seoul for clinging to hopes of renewed diplomacy between the war-divided rivals.

South Korea’s military said over the weekend that it had detected the North removing some of its loudspeakers, days after the South dismantled its own front-line speakers used for anti-North propaganda broadcasts in a bid to ease tensions.

Kim Yo Jong reiterated previous North Korean statements that it has no immediate interest in reviving long-stalled negotiations with Washington and Seoul, citing an upcoming joint military exercise between the allies as proof of their continued hostility toward Pyongyang.

A North Korean soldier standing guard in a watchtower next to a giant loudspeaker, right, near the Demilitarized Zone dividing the two Koreas in Paju, South Korea, in June.Anthony Wallace / AFP via Getty ImagesSouth Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff did not disclose where it spotted the North removing some of its speakers. The North Korean speakers that have been visible from civilian-accessible border areas in the South were still seen by AP photojournalists after the military’s announcement.

During a Cabinet meeting Tuesday, South Korea’s new liberal president, Lee Jae Myung, described the North’s alleged steps as a “reciprocal measure” and expressed hope that the Koreas could “gradually reopen dialogue and communication.”