The South Korean government stressed the need for the two Koreas to respect one another after the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un lashed out at Seoul for criticizing Pyongyang's recent projectile launches.

At a press briefing on Wednesday, Unification Ministry spokesperson Yoh Sang-key said Seoul stands by its position that the two Koreas should work together with mutual respect for the sake of advancing inter-Korean ties and establishing permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula.

In a statement late Tuesday, Kim Yo-jong, the first vice department director of the ruling Workers' Party Central Committee, claimed it makes no sense for the South to criticize the North's self-reliant exercises while it has "enjoyed" joint military exercises with the United States.

Earlier this week, Pyongyang fired what were presumed to be two projectiles from its eastern coastal city of Wonsan, the first of such launches in three months.

Kim's statement came as President Moon Jae-in has reaffirmed a resolve to seek resumption of various inter-Korean cooperation projects in a bid to facilitate the stalled denuclearization talks between Washington and Pyongyang.

South Korea's presidential office, meanwhile, took a more cautious stance, with an official quoted as saying the top office is not expected to issue a direct response to Kim's statement.