The South Korean President regrets that North Korea rejected an offer to give up its nuclear weapons in exchange for stimulating its economy.

Seoul authorities expressed regret after Pyongyang rejected an initiative by South Korean President Yoon Seok-yeol, in which he expressed his country’s readiness to provide economic assistance to North Korea in stages if it stops developing nuclear weapons and begins to abandon nuclear weapons.

The office of the South Korean President expressed “deep regret at the statements made by Kim Yo-jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, regarding the initiative of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yul.”

Earlier in the day, Kim Yo-jong, vice chairman of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea, issued a statement criticizing the South Korean president’s initiative, stressing that “the country will never accept South Korea’s offer to strengthen its economy in exchange for giving up nuclear weapons.” . She added: “I believe that the plan to trade economic cooperation for nuclear weapons is Leon’s dream, hope and grand plan,” noting that “no one will trade their fate for a corn pie.”

Kim’s comments are the first direct comment by a senior Pyongyang official on what South Korean President Yoon Seok-yeol calls the “daring” plan, which he first proposed in May and spoke about again on Wednesday at a press conference marking the 100th anniversary of his stay in positions. . . .

In turn, the office of the President of South Korea noted: “It is very unfortunate that North Korea continues to use unfamiliar languages ​​in conversation with the President and continues to express its intentions to develop a nuclear program, distorting our bold initiative.”

“This attitude of North Korea not only does not contribute to its future, but also negatively affects the peace and prosperity of the Korean Peninsula and serves only to accelerate its international isolation,” the department noted. He stressed that “his desire for the denuclearization of North Korea and the development of inter-Korean relations through a bold initiative has not changed, and urged North Korea to be wise and think it over carefully.”

Seoul authorities have resumed a long-running joint exercise with the United States, including a major field exercise due to begin next week.

A US State Department spokesman said last Wednesday that “Washington supports Yun’s policy, but Kim said the joint exercise shows the two allies’ talk of diplomacy is not sincere.”