North Korea rejects Seoul's medical aid offer as 'insult'

South Korea's unification ministry had announced plans to send 1,431 medical items across 166 categories to a Pyongyang hospital. This aid was part of a humanitarian medical support program, and the ministry had obtained a sanctions exemption from the UN Security Council's North Korea sanctions committee in May.

Kim Yo-jong dismissed the offer as "an insult to our state and mutant political-motivated provocation against it and a grave encroachment upon our national law," calling it "a noisy and ugly act" and "another farce." She drew a parallel to Seoul's conclusion about North Korean mines causing recent explosions, referring to both as "farce."

She reiterated that Pyongyang has no interest in engaging with Seoul, stating, "We have nothing to exchange or go with the ROK and no need to face to face with it." She added, "There will be no change in the true colors of the ROK most hostile to the DPRK and the hostile nature of the DPRK-ROK relations."

With inter-Korean exchanges and dialogue channels largely nonexistent due to strained relations, it had been uncertain whether North Korea would accept the aid. A unification ministry official indicated that the chances of the shipment proceeding as planned were slim, and the government would seek another extension from the United Nations.