North Korea confirms South Korea now described as ‘enemy state’

North Korea has confirmed that the country’s revised constitution defines South Korea as “a hostile state” for the first time.

Thursday’s confirmation comes two days after North Korea blew up frontline road and rail links that once linked the country to the South.

North Korea’s parliament met for two days last week to rewrite the constitution, but state media did not provide many details about the session.

Leader Kim Jong Un had called for a constitutional amendment during that parliamentary meeting to designate South Korea as the country’s main enemy, remove the goal of peaceful Korean unification and define the North’s sovereign, territorial sphere .

The official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said the recent demolition of parts of the northern stretches of inter-Korean road and rail links was “an unavoidable and legitimate measure taken in accordance with the requirements of the DPRK Constitution, which the ROK clearly defines. as a hostile state.”

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) is the official name of the North, while the Republic of Korea (ROK) is the formal name of the South.

KCNA did not provide further details about the new constitution. An earlier report on last week’s Supreme People’s Assembly meeting said only that the constitution had been revised to change North Koreans’ legal ages for working and participating in elections.

Mr. Kim’s order in January to rewrite the constitution surprised many foreign experts because it was seen as an elimination of the idea of ​​a shared state among the war-divided Koreas and a break with the long-held dreams of his predecessors to peacefully achieve a united Korea. the conditions of the North.

In recent months, North Korea has torn down monuments symbolizing rapprochement with South Korea and abolished government agencies that govern inter-Korean relations.

Some experts say Mr. Kim likely wants to shield himself from South Korea’s cultural influence and strengthen his family’s dynastic rule, while others say he wants legal space to use his nuclear weapons against South Korea by making it a foreign enemy state, and not a partner for potential unification that shares a sense of national homogeneity.

Mr. Kim may also want to reach out to the U.S. directly in future diplomacy over its nuclear program, rather than through South Korea.

KCNA reported, citing the North Korean Defense Ministry, that North Korea blew up the 60-meter-long sections of two pairs of roads and railways – one pair on the western part of the inter-Korean border and the other on the eastern side of the border. the border.

The road and rail links, built largely with South Korean money, were a symbol of the now dormant inter-Korean reconciliation movements.

In the 2000s, the two Koreas reconnected road and rail routes for the first time since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War, but their activities were later halted as the rivals feuded over North Korea’s nuclear ambitions. Korea and other issues.

Last week, North Korea said it would permanently block its border with South Korea and build front-line defense structures. South Korean officials said North Korea has added anti-tank barriers and laid mines along the border since earlier this year.

Hostilities between the neighbors have increased in recent days, with North Korea accusing South Korea of ​​flying drones over its capital Pyongyang three times this month and promising strong military responses if similar incidents occur again.

South Korea has refused to confirm whether it has sent drones, but warned that North Korea will face the downfall of the regime if the safety of South Korean citizens is compromised.