Presidential Office rebuffs Kim Yo-jong's attacks, saying 'clown show' remarks do not help build trust

The presidential office squarely rebutted criticism on the 2nd by Kim Yo-jong, director of the General Affairs Department of North Korea's ruling Workers' Party (a key post overseeing personnel and organization within the party). In response to the North's remarks denigrating President Lee Jae-myung's Armed Forces Day address as the 'peak of a clown show,' the office said, 'Slanderous rhetoric toward our government does not help build mutual trust.' A presidential official, referring to Director Kim's remarks that day, said, 'We urge the North to stop its wasteful criticism and join efforts for peace and coexistence on the Korean Peninsula.'

In a statement released that day through the Korean Central News Agency, Director Kim claimed, 'Small fry like the JCS (Joint Chiefs of Staff) are preoccupied with picking fights with others, demanding investigation results and official statements.' She then denounced the ceremony's pledge to take practical steps to reduce military tensions as 'truly a highlight scene of a clown show too good to watch alone.'

Director Kim also said that, regarding last month's 21st landmine explosion in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), our government 'hastily drew an outrageous conclusion and released an utterly clumsy official statement,' adding, 'They even went on about an apology, which is truly pathetic.'