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North yet to respond to South's proposal for inter-Korean talks, focuses on 'public health revolution'

Published: 20 Nov. 2025, 21:07

A village in North Korea is seen from an observatory in Paju, Gyeonggi, on Nov. 18. [NEWS1]

The South Korean military has detected signs that North Korean troops have crossed the military demarcation line (MDL) in the demilitarized zone more than 10 times just this month. It was confirmed on Thursday that Pyongyang continued the incursions even after Seoul proposed on Monday inter-Korean military talks regarding the issue.

On average, this means North Korean troops were detected south of the MDL every other day.

Kim Hong-cheol, the director-general of policy at the Ministry of National Defense, previously announced, “To prevent accidental clashes and ease military tensions between the two Koreas, we officially propose holding inter-Korean military talks to discuss the establishment of the MDL reference line.”

As of Thursday, North Korea has not responded and has continued its incursions, which may be accidental or indicate Pyongyang's dismissal of Seoul’s proposal.

North Korea appears focused on domestic affairs instead. On Wednesday, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited Kangdong County Hospital in Pyongyang on Wednesday, according to the state-run Rodong Sinmun on Thursday. The hospital was completed just nine months after construction began in February of this year.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un delivers a speech during the opening ceremony of the newly constructed Kangdong County Hospital in this image released by the state-run Rodong Sinmun on Nov. 20. [RODONG SINMUN]

The Kangdong County Hospital is part of the “20×10 Local Development Policy,” which aims to build modern factories in 20 cities and counties each year for the next decade, starting in 2024.

“This marks the second inauguration following the implementation of the regional development policy, as well as [...] us witnessing an example of [our country's future] modern regional hospitals,” said Kim Jong-un in his speech at the hospital’s completion ceremony, according to Rodong Sinmun. “Proclaiming [the hospital's] completion within a year of its groundbreaking is the standard speed regarding achieving our goals, and this will be enough to show how quickly the country is being rejuvenated, I think.”

He continued, “This will be followed by inaugurations for Kusong City Hospital and Ryonggang County Hospital, as well as first-aid posts in the Wonsan-Kalma coastal tourist area. Then we will have six modern medical facilities [including Pyongyang General Hospital] in total by the end of this year.

“With these valuable results of the public health revolution, which embody the true objective of our struggle [...] we can confidently call 2025 a year of amazing transformation.”

A large crowd is seen during North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's speech during the opening ceremony of the newly constructed Kangdong County Hospital in this image released by the state-run Rodong Sinmun on Nov. 20. [RODONG SINMUN]

Rodong Sinmun quoted Kim as saying, “[The Workers' Party] is determined to take revolutionary steps [...] toward modernizing public health in our own style to benefit all the people in this country.”

Kim's emphasis on expanding local healthcare is interpreted as an effort to shore up loyalty within the regime's security apparatus and tighten internal discipline ahead of the 9th Party Congress.

Meanwhile, on Thursday, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly Third Committee adopted through consensus — or without a vote — a resolution on North Korean human rights, jointly proposed by 61 countries, including South Korea, the United States and Japan.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, center, inspects the facilities of the newly constructed Kangdong County Hospital in this image released by the state-run Korean Central News Agency on Nov. 20. [KOREAN CENTRAL NEWS AGENCY]

This marks South Korea's third consecutive year as a co-sponsor of the resolution, and North Korea is expected to react sharply.

The resolution again expresses concern about the “potential negative impact” on North Korea's human rights situation, including that of separated families, following the country's January 2024 announcement that it would no longer pursue reunification with South Korea.

The resolution also expresses “deep concern” about the North's widespread culture of impunity, in which violations and abuses go unpunished.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Lee Jae-woong speaks during a regular press briefing at the Government Complex Seoul in Jongno District, central Seoul, on Nov. 13. [YONHAP]

The resolution is expected to be formally adopted at the UN General Assembly plenary session next month.

“The Republic of Korea notes that, in the resolution, the UN General Assembly urges the DPRK to establish an operating environment conducive to the return of international and humanitarian staff and encourages all Member States and UN entities to provide more support for the work of civil society organizations to improve the human rights situation in the DPRK,” said Seoul’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement on Thursday, referring to South Korea and North Korea by the two countries’ official names, the Republic of Korea (ROK) and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), respectively.

“The ROK government will continue its close cooperation with the international community for the substantive enhancement of human rights of DPRK people,” the Foreign Ministry added.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY SHIM SEOK-YONG [[email protected]]