N. Korea rebuffs Seoul's medical aid offer as 'insult'

North Korea has rejected South Korea's humanitarian offer of medical supplies, dismissing it as an "insult" and a "political provocation." Kim Yo-jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, made the remarks in a statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). South Korea's unification ministry had planned to send 1,431 medical items to a hospital in Pyongyang, necessary for diagnosis, surgery, and treatment.

The ministry secured a sanctions exemption in May from the U.N. Security Council's North Korea sanctions committee. This rejection comes after North Korea had earlier dismissed Seoul's conclusion that North Korean mines caused the Sept. 21 explosions that wounded three South Korean soldiers, calling it a "farce."

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