The influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said on Friday that her country is willing to resume talks with South Korea if conditions are met, indicating that it wants Seoul to persuade Washington to relax the crippling economic sanctions.
Kim Yo Jong’s statement came days after North Korea performed its first missile tests in six months , which some experts said were intended to show it will keep boosting its weapons arsenal if the U.S.-led sanctions continue while nuclear diplomacy remains stalled.
She offered the talks while mentioning South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s call, issued in a speech at the UN General Assembly, for a political declaration to end the 1950-53 Korean War as a way to bring peace to the peninsula.
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She said North Korea is willing to hold “constructive” talks with South Korea to discuss how to improve and repair strained ties if the South stops provoking the North with hostile policies, far-fetched assertions and double-dealing standards. South Korea’s Unification Ministry said it is carefully reviewing Ms. Kim’s statement.