North Korea accuses UN chief of siding with South Korea over border tensions

North Korea expressed regret over comments by the U.N. secretary-general urging the two Koreas to ‌ease tensions through dialogue following a landmine blast at the border, accusing him of taking Seoul's side, state media reported on Tuesday.

Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, ⁠said U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres took a "prejudiced and irresponsible" attitude by echoing South Korea's unilateral claim over the September blast.

"The U.N. secretary-general's behaviour of echoing words of the provokers and patronising them without having proper understanding of the fact is not helpful to the detente," Kim said in a statement carried by the KCNA news ‌agency.

U.N. ⁠spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters Guterres encouraged the two Koreas to resume dialogue, including on the military level to avoid unintended accidents.

Tensions have spiked since a landmine blast inside the ⁠Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) border seriously wounded several South Korean soldiers on a reconnaissance mission in September. Seoul has said the blast ⁠was caused by North Korean mines.

Reuters