North Korea declared the abolition of three agencies tasked with promoting inter-Korean relations, including the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland, the National Economic Cooperation Bureau and the Mount Kumgang International Tourism Administration.
The Supreme People’s Assembly, North Korea’s rubber-stamp parliament, announced this decision on Jan. 16, citing North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s recent remarks that “unification with the South is no longer possible”.
The Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland was founded in 1961 as a branch of the United Front Department of the Worker’s Party of Korea. On paper, the committee promoted reunification, but in reality, its activities predominantly revolved around propaganda aimed at influencing South Korean officials and shaping public opinion in favor of North Korea. The committee was upgraded from an extra-party organization to a state agency in 2016, but it was abolished on Tuesday as part of Kim’s order to “clean up” organizations related to inter-Korean affairs.
Similarly, the National Economic Cooperation Bureau and the Mount Kumgang International Tourism Administration were created when inter-Korean economic collaborations and tours to Mount Kumgang took place. Their functions and roles were effectively reduced after North Korea’s nuclear and missile provocations halted most inter-Korean border projects.
This strategic shift in North Korea’s policy towards the South has become more pronounced since last month, when Kim declared a “fundamental shift in inter-Korean relations.” He stated that South Korea should be viewed as “the number one hostile state.” In line with this stance, North Korea has also suspended propaganda efforts managed by these organizations.
Kim also called for the removal of terms such as “sovereignty,” “peaceful unification,” and “national unity” from the constitution during his speech to the assembly. These principles are part of the “Three Principles of National Reunification”, established in the 1972 July 4 Joint Statement by the North and South. In 2016, Kim referred to these principles as foundations for reunification “revealed by the great founders Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il.”
A former Ministry of Unification official said that this strategy shift signals North Korea will no longer be financially dependent on South Korea, and aims to establish a clear distinction between the two Koreas so that the South cannot influence the U.S.-North Korea negotiations by demanding denuclearization.
“North Korea appears to have geared its policy toward the South with the intention of targeting the South for a nuclear attack, potentially escalating tensions in the Korean Peninsula to a level comparable to India and Pakistan, thus solidifying the North’s status as a de facto nuclear power,” said a former senior intelligence official.
Kim Young-soo, head of the North Korea Institute, interpreted the North’s tactics as psychological warfare. “North Korea is aiming to influence the South’s public opinion against the Yoon Suk Yeol government ahead of the upcoming April general elections,” he said.
