North Korean leader Kim Jong Un announced on Tuesday that his country would abandon efforts for reconciliation with South Korea and advocated for a revision of North Korea’s constitution to eliminate the notion of shared statehood between the two nations, as reported by state media. This significant shift marks the end of a decades-long pursuit of peaceful unification, grounded in a sense of national homogeneity shared by both Koreas. The decision comes amidst escalating tensions, with increased development of Kim’s weapons and heightened military exercises by the South in collaboration with the United States.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed concern about the reduction in contacts, emphasizing the importance of diplomatic engagement as the only viable path for sustainable peace on the Korean peninsula and the complete denuclearization of the region. Meanwhile, North Korea dissolved key government agencies responsible for managing relations with the South during a meeting of the country’s rubber-stamp parliament on Monday.
The Supreme People’s Assembly declared an “acute confrontation” between the two Koreas, asserting that viewing the South as a diplomatic partner would be a serious mistake. They abolished agencies, including the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Country, the National Economic Cooperation Bureau, and the (Diamond Mountain) International Tourism Administration, which facilitated North-South dialogue and cooperation.
North’s “primary foe and invariable principal enemy”
Kim, in his speech, blamed South Korea and the United States for escalating tensions, citing joint military exercises, U.S. military deployments, and trilateral security cooperation with Japan as factors turning the Korean Peninsula into a war-risk zone. He labeled the South as “top-class stooges” of external powers fixated on confrontational maneuvers.
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Calling for a constitutional rewrite, Kim proposed defining South Korea as the North’s “primary foe and invariable principal enemy.” The new constitution would specify North Korea’s pursuit of “occupying, subjugating, and reclaiming” South Korea in case of another war. Additionally, Kim ordered the removal of symbols of inter-Korean reconciliation, such as dismantling cross-border railway sections and tearing down a reunification monument in Pyongyang.
Kim’s stance was met with criticism from South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, who condemned the “anti-national and anti-historical” nature of the North Korean government, pledging firm defense readiness and a strong response if provoked.