Kim Jong-Un’s uncommon praise to South Korea – nevertheless it must be seen as ‘clear warning’
Kim Jong-un’s younger sister seemingly surprised officials in both North and South Korea after she launched into a string of compliments about South Korean president Lee Jae Myung
Kim Jong Un delivers a speech during a session of the Supreme People’s Assembly at parliament in Pyongyang, North Korea Monday, March 23, 2026(Image: AP)
The sister of North Korean despot Kim Jong Un has set tongues wagging after her string of flattering comments about her brother’s nemesis and South Korean president Lee Jae Myung caused a stir. Kim’s powerful sister, Kim Yo-jong, turned heads in both North and South when she described the man meant to be her enemy as both “frank” and “broad-minded”.
The 38-year-old launched the surprising barrage of compliments after President Lee criticised South Koreans for flying drones over the border with the North, saying the incidents have caused “unnecessary military tension” with Pyongyang.
He stated: “Although this was not an act by our government, I express regret to the North Korean side over the unnecessary military tension caused by such reckless behaviour.”
Just hours after the President’s apology, Kim Yo-jong issued a statement that said North Korea’s head of state assessed Lee as having a “frank and broad-minded” attitude. She wrote that she “appreciated” the South Korean president’s response as being “very fortunate and wise behaviour”.
She went on to say that her brother Kim Jong-un had also been impressed, writing, “our head of state commented on it as a manifestation of a frank and broad-minded man’s attitude”, the statement read.”
As well as being Kim Jong-un’s younger sister, Yo-jong is seen as a powerful figure in the North Korean regime, and therefore her comments were initially viewed as a surprising given her country’s disdain for their southern neighbours.
A South Korean Government spokesperson responded to the compliments, writing that they “hoped the swift inter-Korean exchange of views would contribute to peace on the Korean Peninsula”, adding that the government is “continuing to work toward peaceful coexistence”.
Immediately after the out of character compliments, North Korea made sure to pour cold water on whatever sparks were flying between the South’s president and Kim’s younger sister.
In a hastily released statement, a North Korean official described any suggestion of a positive relationship between Kim Yo-jong and President Lee Jae Myung as “wishful”.
North Korea’s first vice foreign minister Jang Kum-chol asserted that any “unprecedented favourable response” would amount to a “pipe dream” and a “wishful interpretation”.
And if that wasn’t enough, North Korea went one step further to distance themselves from their Southern counterparts by firing a series of short-range ballistic missiles in a rare back-to-back test launch.
The test, which Southern officials described as a ‘provocation’ reportedly saw missiles travel over 700km towards the East Sea.
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