Pyongyang said it gave Seoul a cold shoulder because North Korean defectors in South Korea flew balloons to their homes carrying leaflets and SD cards, perhaps with information about the outside world. It is illegal for most North Koreans to consume information that is not approved by the country’s powerful propaganda machine, and that can have dire consequences.

Experts believe that the Kim regime used the issue of leaflets to create a crisis – a tactic in the North Korean international relations manual which is often used to create a feeling of urgency in novice negotiations.

“We will never barter our highest leadership dignity for anything, but defend it at the expense of our lives,” said a statement published Tuesday at the North Korean government-run KCNA news outlet. “There is no need to sit face to face with the South Korean authorities and there is no problem to discuss with them, because they only arouse our disappointment.”

The statement also said Tuesday’s move was “the first step of determination to completely close all means of contact with South Korea and get rid of unnecessary things.”

He and Kim Yong Chol, who were partners with Foreign Minister Mike Pompeo in talks with the United States, were both named in Tuesday’s announcement. KCNA also brought Kim Yo Jong’s work on Friday which called the defectors “shepherd dogs” and threatened South Korea, suggesting “now is the time to bring the owner to account.”

The group posted pictures on its website showing several balloons, including those carrying posters bearing caricatures of Kim Jong Un and the words: “While people are starving, what is the use of nuclear rockets, chemical biological weapons and political prison camps? Let’s end it Kim Jong-un’s dictatorship from generation to generation! “

Political tactics

Kim’s family is treated with almost godlike respect in North Korean state media, and insulting one of them can carry harsh punishments. But the decision to escalate hostilities could be a political tactic intended to start inter-Korean talks, which are basically stuck in neutral conditions for months.

“Inter-Korean communication is essentially dead and dysfunctional, but Pyongyang is trying to make the broken line into a much bigger deal than it really is,” said Duyeon Kim, senior adviser at the International Crisis Group specializing in Northeast Asian affairs and nuclear policy .

The first inter-Korean hotline was established in 1971, according to the Unification Ministry. Since then North Korea has cut off inter-Korean communication at least five times.

“This situation is not ideal, but the two Koreas are accustomed to the period of the dialogue channel being cut off,” said Duyeon Kim.

Talks to achieve some of the main objectives set at the April 2018 summit, including ending the Korean War and rebuilding inter-Korean economic projects, have so far failed to progress.

An important point that emerged was the sanctions imposed on North Korea by the UN Security Council and the United States. Pyongyang is in dire need of hard currency, but sanctions prohibit the country from selling most valuable items or engaging in profitable joint projects with South Korea.

North Korea is now trying to steer South Korea into a corner while maintaining the United States, hoping that a sense of urgency in Seoul will encourage the Moon to work together on Kim Jong Un’s requirements.

North Korea “does not want the Moon Jae government to feel comfortable. They want to create a measurable crisis, a controlled crisis,” Lankov said. “North Korea needs a crisis in relations with South Korea, but of a kind that will not be directly attractive in the United States.

The problem, however, is that Moon is riding the highest politics after doing better than expected in legislative elections earlier this year. And its constituents don’t really care about the escalation cycle with North Korea – this is something South Koreans are used to doing. Deciding on communication is likely to fail to register as a major problem in South Korea, where the economy and the new coronavirus pandemic are the most pressing problems at the moment.

Lankov said North Korea’s efforts to create a sense of crisis in South Korea were “very unsuccessful.”

“However, that is not necessarily a good sign,” he said. “The lack of response is likely to mean North Korea is starting to increase its volume, increasing the intensity of provocation.”