North Korea slams South Korea's 'enemy state' status

A top North Korean official said on Tuesday South Korea's "true colours" as an enemy state would never change, tempering optimism in Seoul that a recent

exchange over drone incursions had opened the door to improved ties.



In a statement carried by state media KCNA late on Tuesday, Jang Kum Chol, a first vice minister and department director at North Korea's foreign ministry, criticised what he called "hope-filled dream reading" in South Korea after Pyongyang's rare acceptance of President Lee Jae Myung's expression of regret over the incident.



Jang said the statement issued the previous night by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's powerful sister Kim Yo Jong amounted to a warning to Seoul, rather than a conciliatory signal, and dismissed interpretations that it reflected friendly intentions or high-level consensus between the two sides.