North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called for a change in the constitution to define South Korea as the North’s “No. 1 hostile state and primary foe,” the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Jan. 16.
In a speech to the Supreme People’s Assembly, North Korea’s rubber-stamp parliament, Kim said he no longer believed in seeking a peaceful unification with the South. “In the event of war in the Korean Peninsula, it is important to take into account the issue of completely occupying, suppressing, and reclaiming the Republic of Korea and subjugating it into the territory of the republic,” Kim said.
He accused the South of attempting to instigate regime collapse and subtly advance unification.
“Since the republic has completely discarded the notion of the Republic of Korea as a partner for reconciliation and reunification, recognizing it instead as an entirely foreign and extremely hostile nation, it is essential to take legal measures to define the scope of our sovereignty,” he said, adding that South Korea should be stated as the North’s “No. 1 hostile state and invariable primary enemy.”
Kim’s speech included the proposal to remove terms like “northern half,” “sovereignty,” “peaceful reunification,” and “national unity” from the constitution. He suggested that these amendments be discussed at the next assembly.
North Korea also decided to close three agencies tasked with promoting inter-Korean cooperation: the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland, the National Economic Cooperation Bureau and the Mount Kumgang International Tourism Administration.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol condemned Kim’s speech and asserted that any aggression from the North would be met with substantial retaliation. He claimed the North’s ‘war or peace’ threats “no longer work” and that “the fake peace achieved by succumbing to such threats only puts our security at greater risk.”
