South Korean President Lee Jae-myung on 18 Aug directed his cabinet to carry out a phased, partial implementation of dormant inter-Korean accords, starting with the restoration of the September 19, 2018 military agreement designed to prevent border clashes. Lee said incremental steps would "widen the path of peace" while maintaining military readiness, and ordered ministries to identify measures that could be enacted immediately. Pyongyang swiftly rejected the overture. In comments released through state news agency KCNA on 19–20 Aug, Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of leader Kim Jong Un, declared that South Korea "cannot be a diplomatic partner" and said Lee "is not the man to change the flow of history." She accused Seoul of a "dual personality" for proposing détente while continuing the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises with the United States, calling the drills a rehearsal for invasion and warning of unspecified "pre-emptive diplomatic countermeasures." The exchange underscores the gulf that remains between the two Koreas despite Lee’s efforts since taking office in June to revive dialogue, which have included dismantling propaganda loudspeakers along the border. The peninsula technically remains at war, and Pyongyang’s latest rhetoric suggests little appetite for reviving talks even as Seoul seeks to lower military tensions.