North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ’s powerful sister yet again taunted South Korean efforts to improve ties, state media reported Wednesday, saying that her country will never accept Seoul as a diplomatic partner.

North Korea ruled out a role for South Korea in any regional diplomatic talks related to Pyongyang and warned of “countermeasures” against “the most hostile state” as it criticized the ongoing military cooperation between Seoul and Washington.

Could President Lee Jaw-myung accede to scaling down American military commitment to the country he now leads.