North Korea Rejects Special Envoy Visit, Will Send Troops Back to DMZ

US coordinating with South Korea as tensions mount

North Korea destroyed the liaison office in Kaesong, a sign of worsening tensions and an expectation that things are just going to get worse. The signs are that North Korea is not looking for a quick rapprochement, having rejected President Moon’s proposal to send special envoys to negotiate.

Kim Jong Un’s sister rejected that offer for envoys as a “tactless and sinister proposal,” while other North Korean officials indicated that troops are going to be mobilized, and sent to the area near the border, and back into the DMZ.

Tensions have been rising over South Koreans sending anti-regime leaflets across the border, and Kim’s sister has taken the lead in threatening to retaliate for this. That is not to say that this will necessarily mean a confrontation, however, but just that the Koreas are drifting further apart after recent negotiations.

The US, which has also struggled with North Korea ties, has reported being in “close coordination” with South Korea since the Kaesong office’s destruction. They did not elaborate, but it is likely the US will use this to try to coax more funding out of South Korea for US military operations.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.