(2nd LD) Kim Yo-jong again rejects blame for DMZ blast, mocks Seoul's call to ease tensions

(ATTN: ADDS unification ministry's response in last 3 paras) SEOUL, Oct. 2 (Yonhap) -- Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, on Friday again rejected blame for the recent mine blast inside the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) and derided Seoul's call to reduce tensions. In a statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), she repeated her earlier denial this week, rejecting the South Korean military's findings that blamed the North for the blast, which wounded three South Korean soldiers. South Korea's military urged Pyongyang to offer an apology and stop fortification work on the border. "Explaining in a simple and clear way, this is aimed at shutting down the door forever so that we will have nothing to do with the ROK and even wild animals cannot come and go," she said. ROK stands for the Republic of Korea, South Korea's official name. North Korea wants to "cut off the relationship forever" with the South, she added. President Lee Jae Myung vowed Thursday to keep pressing for practical ways to ease military tensions with North Korea, even as the two Koreas remain at odds over the blast. "My administration will consistently pursue practical measures to reduce military tensions between the two Koreas," Lee said at a ceremony marking the 78th Armed Forces Day. "For the sake of peace on the Korean Peninsula, the two Koreas must find a way to win together and build trust," he said. She, however, derided President Lee's remarks as "the climax of the farce that everyone should watch." "Those who wrote the playbook for the farce, directed it and played the actors deserve the precious 'citation,'" Kim said. In response, South Korea's unification ministry said it has repeatedly made clear that it has "no intention of being hostile to the North." The ministry urged the North "to end the unproductive war of words that fuels hatred and hostility, and meet face to face." "By doing so, South and North Korea can find a way to prevent a repeat of such an incident and ease tensions," it said. This file photo shows Kim Yo-jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. (Yonhap) jaeyeon.woo@yna.co.kr(END) Articles with issue keywords