SEOUL, Nov. 10 (UPI) — North Korea on Tuesday rejected U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ call to resume inter-Korean dialogue, accusing him of siding with Seoul in a dispute over September’s land mine explosions in the Demilitarized Zone.

Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, called Guterres’ stance “prejudiced and irresponsible” in a statement carried by the state-run Korean Central News Agency.

“Such ignorant and irresolute attitude of the U.N. secretary-general serves as a main factor of gradually pushing the U.N. into a state of its malfunction,” she said. “It is regretful that he is still resorting to the prejudiced and double-dealing behavior without any clear understanding of the issue of the Korean peninsula.”

Kim defended the North’s border fortifications as an exercise of its right to self-defense and said Guterres would share the blame if what she called South Korean military provocations led to another incident.

At a Nov. 5 press briefing, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Guterres was concerned about the risk of escalating tensions in the DMZ and had urged the restoration of communication channels, including military contacts, to avoid accidents or miscalculations.

“Diplomatic engagement and renewed dialogue remain the only pathway to reduce tensions and to achieve sustainable peace on the Korean Peninsula,” Dujarric said.

The Sept. 21 explosions wounded three South Korean military personnel, two seriously. South Korea and the U.S.-led United Nations Command concluded that mines planted by North Korea south of the Military Demarcation Line caused the blasts and violated the armistice that halted the 1950-53 Korean War.

South Korea detailed those findings in an Oct. 22 letter to the U.N. Security Council. In its own letter, North Korea accused Seoul of fabricating the incident to obstruct its border fortification work.

North Korea began hardening its southern border after leader Kim Jong Un declared in late 2023 that the two Koreas were “two hostile states.” Since April 2024, North Korean troops have cleared land, reinforced military roads, installed anti-tank barriers and laid mines near the Military Demarcation Line.

South Korea’s military says it has issued warning broadcasts and fired warning shots when North Korean troops crossed the line during construction work. Seoul says the two sides differ over where parts of the boundary run, increasing the risk of an accidental clash.

On Oct. 23, South Korea proposed military talks to jointly verify the location of the line and restore military communications.