Kim Jong-un's sister praised the South Korean president, but relations between the countries remain tense.

At the last congress of the North Korean Workers' Party, held in Pyongyang, despite Kim Jong-un's aggressive rhetoric, there were also some positive words for South Korea. The dictator's sister praised the president of the neighboring state.

However, relations between the two Koreas remain tense, The Wall Street Journal reports.

What did Kim Jong-un's sister say?

While the Korean dictator himself called South Korea, not the United States, the main enemy and threatened Seoul, his sister Kim Yo Jong, who is the spokesperson for the regime, said that In considers South Korean President Lee Jae Myung “an open and tolerant person.”

This statement was released amid the South Korean leader's apology for South Korean drones flying into North Korean airspace. The North Korean representative expressed her brother's gratitude and praised his “very successful and wise behavior.” In response to the compliments, Lee Jae-myong expressed hope that such words would promote peaceful coexistence on the Korean Peninsula.

The Wall Street Journal emphasizes that the exchange of these statements contributed to a reduction in the level of escalation between the two states, especially against the backdrop of regular shelling of the border area.

What will happen between the two Koreas?

Although the two countries have been in a frozen war for nearly 80 years, the Wall Street Journal believes it's unlikely the conflict will escalate. Despite the window of opportunity that has opened for North Korea with the US military stranded in Iran, Kim Jong-un has no need for war now and enjoys good relations with the leaders of Russia, China, and the US.

Kim Jong-un will continue to view his neighbor as his main enemy. However, his sister's compliments demonstrate that an escalation on the Korean Peninsula is not expected anytime soon. North Korea is also interested in eliminating the risk of escalation ahead of Trump's visit to China, which, although now postponed indefinitely, could still be important for the region.

“But rhetoric about de-escalation is unlikely to move the needle in inter-Korean relations,” suggests Hwang Ji-hwan, a professor of international relations at Seoul National University.

Anna Detushkina