N. Korean leader's sister again pushes back against Seoul's medical aid offer

Kim Yo-jong again rejected South Korea’s offer of humanitarian medical assistance in Pyongyang on Friday, calling it a political provocation. Her statement followed her rejection a day earlier of a planned shipment of 1,431 medical items across 166 categories. She linked the aid offer to Seoul’s accusations over a Sept. 21 DMZ land mine blast that injured three South Korean soldiers. North Korea said it would continue to reject South Korea.

South Korea planned to send the medical supplies to a hospital in Pyongyang as part of a humanitarian support program.

Kim Yo-jong said the medical aid proposal and South Korea’s accusations over the mine blast were intended to damage North Korea’s reputation and image.

North Korea denied responsibility for the Sept. 21 mine explosion and warned of immediate and merciless retaliation if its troops were fired upon.

South Korea’s unification ministry secured a sanctions exemption for the humanitarian program from the U.N. Security Council’s North Korea sanctions committee in May.

Published Oct 9, 2026 8:41 am KST

Kim Yo-jong, vice department director of the central committee of North Korea's ruling party / Yonhap

Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, on Friday reiterated Pyongyang's rejection of South Korea's offer to provide humanitarian medical assistance, criticizing the gesture as a "farce."

Kim's statement carried by the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) came a day after she rejected Seoul's plan to send 1,431 medical items across 166 categories to a hospital in Pyongyang, as part of a humanitarian medical support program. She called the offer an "insult" and "political provocation."

"The racket of 'mine explosion' and the farce of 'medical equipment support' orchestrated by the ROK are just the two sides of the same coin minted by its inveterate bad habit of escalating confrontation with our state." ROK stands for the Republic of Korea, South Korea's official name.

Kim claimed that South Korea's medical aid proposal and its accusations against North Korea over a recent land mine explosion near the inter-Korean border were intended to damage Pyongyang's reputation and image.

North Korea has denied responsibility for the Sept. 21 mine blast inside the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that left three South Korean soldiers injured, accusing Seoul of fabricating the findings and warning of "immediate and merciless" retaliation if its troops are fired upon.

"The farces recently staged by Seoul are unprecedented politically-motivated, military and moral provocations against the Democratic People's Republic of Korea," Kim said, adding North Korea will continue to "disregard" and "reject" the South.

DPRK is the official name of North Korea: the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

South Korea's unification ministry has secured a sanctions exemption in May from the U.N. Security Council's North Korea sanctions committee for the humanitarian program.

周五，金与正再次在平壤拒绝了韩国提供的人道主义医疗援助，称其为政治挑衅。此前一天，她已拒绝了韩国计划运送的1431件涵盖166个类别的医疗物资。她将此次援助与首尔方面指责朝鲜9月21日在非军事区发生的地雷爆炸事件联系起来，该事件导致三名韩国士兵受伤。朝鲜表示将继续拒绝韩国的援助。

韩国计划将这批医疗物资送往平壤的一家医院，作为人道主义援助计划的一部分。

金与正表示，韩国提出的医疗援助方案以及对地雷爆炸事件的指责，都是为了损害朝鲜的声誉和形象。

朝鲜否认对9月21日的地雷爆炸事件负责，并警告说，如果其军队遭到炮击，将立即进行无情报复。

韩国统一部于5月从联合国安理会朝鲜制裁委员会获得人道主义援助计划的制裁豁免。

发布于2026年10月9日上午8:41（韩国标准时间）

金与正，朝鲜劳动党中央委员会副部长/韩联社

朝鲜领导人金正恩的妹妹金与正周五重申了平壤拒绝韩国提供人道主义医疗援助的立场，并批评韩国的举动是“一场闹剧”。

金正恩通过朝鲜官方通讯社朝中社发表声明的前一天，她拒绝了首尔方面提出的向平壤一家医院运送166类共1431件医疗物资的计划，该计划是人道主义医疗援助项目的一部分。她称这一提议是“侮辱”和“政治挑衅”。

“韩国炮制的‘地雷爆炸’闹剧和‘医疗设备支援’闹剧，只不过是其长期以来不断升级与我国对抗的恶习所铸成的同一枚硬币的两面。” ROK 指的是大韩民国，即韩国的正式名称。

金正恩声称，韩国提出的医疗援助方案以及对朝鲜最近在朝韩边境附近发生的地雷爆炸事件的指责，都是为了损害平壤的声誉和形象。

朝鲜否认对9月21日非军事区（DMZ）内发生的导致三名韩国士兵受伤的地雷爆炸事件负责，并指责首尔捏造调查结果，警告称如果其军队遭到炮击，将立即进行“无情”报复。

金正恩表示：“首尔最近上演的闹剧是前所未有的、出于政治动机的、军事和道德挑衅，针对的是朝鲜民主主义人民共和国。”他还补充说，朝鲜将继续“无视”和“拒绝”韩国。

朝鲜民主主义人民共和国（DPRK）是朝鲜的正式名称。

韩国统一部于 5 月从联合国安理会朝鲜制裁委员会获得制裁豁免，用于其人道主义援助项目。