SEOUL, South Korea (AP) – North Korea on Thursday defined South Korea as a “hostile state” for the first time in its recently revised constitution, two days after blowing up front-line roads and railways that once connected the two countries. I confirmed that. South.
This series of developments shows that North Korea is trying to escalate its hostility towards South Korea and raise the risk of conflict in the tense border area, but North Korea is facing a more dominant country and is facing a full-scale attack. The possibility of launching an attack is very low. US military and South Korean military.
The state-run Korean Central News Agency said Thursday that the recent demolition of part of the north-south road and the northern section of the railway is “an unavoidable and legitimate measure taken in line with the requirements of the North Korean constitution, which clearly defines South Korea.” said. It’s a hostile country. ”
DPRK stands for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the official name of North Korea, and ROK stands for the Republic of Korea, the official name of South Korea.
South Korea’s Ministry of Unification condemned North Korea’s constitutional reference to South Korea as an enemy state, calling it an “anti-unification and anti-national act.” The South Korean government declared that it would respond harshly to any provocation by North Korea and resolutely promote peaceful Korean reunification based on the basic principles of freedom and democracy.
North Korea’s rubber-stamp parliament convened for two days last week to amend the constitution, but state media has not reported many details about the meeting. Kim Jong-un, the leader of the Workers’ Party of Korea, had previously designated South Korea as the main enemy, removed the goal of peaceful reunification of North Korea, and called for a constitutional amendment to define North Korea’s sovereign territory.
Thursday’s message from the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) did not reveal any details about the new constitution, other than mentioning South Korea.
Ankit Panda, an expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said: “This confirmation was expected, although internal propaganda reviews may still be underway about the appropriate way to make the constitutional amendment public.” That’s true.”
Kim’s order to revise the constitution in January surprised many foreign experts. It was seen as a break with his predecessor’s long-held dream of peacefully achieving a unified Korea in 2016, eliminating the idea of a shared nation between the war-divided Koreas. Northern conditions. In recent months, North Korea has demolished monuments symbolizing its close ties to South Korea and abolished state institutions that handle inter-Korean relations.
Some experts say Kim is wary of South Korean cultural influence and likely aims to strengthen his family’s dynastic control. Others say Mr. Kim wants legal leeway to use nuclear weapons against South Korea, making it a foreign enemy rather than a potential unification partner with whom they share national homogeneity. They say there is a possibility that Mr. Kim may seek direct dealings with the United States, bypassing South Korea, in future diplomacy regarding his nuclear program.
Leif Eric Easley, a professor of international studies at Ewha Womans University in Seoul, said, “North Korea is so far behind South Korea that any social exchange or financial integration is a path to unification through absorption.” You might see it,” he said.
“Thus, North Korea’s refusal to peacefully reunify Korea is a strategy for regime survival and maintenance of domestic control. This not only has a negative diplomatic impact, but also an ideological motivator for a military invasion of Seoul. It could become,” Easley said.
North Korea blew up 60-meter (197-foot) long sections of two sets of road and railway lines on Tuesday, KCNA reported, citing North Korea’s Defense Ministry. They blasted a 60-meter-long (197-foot) section of the border, one on the western border, and one on the border and railway line. The other is on the east side of the border.
Built largely with South Korean funds, the road and railway were once a major symbol of the now-dormant inter-Korean reconciliation movement. In the 2000s, the two Koreas re-established road and rail connections for the first time since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War, but the service was subsequently halted after the two countries quarreled over North Korea’s nuclear ambitions and other issues.
Last week, North Korea announced it would permanently close its border with South Korea and establish a front-line defense system. South Korean officials said North Korea has been adding anti-tank barriers and laying landmines along the border since early this year.
In recent days, North Korea has accused South Korea of flying drones over the capital Pyongyang three times and vowed to take strong military action if similar incidents occur again. Conflict between South Korea is increasing. South Korea has refused to confirm whether it flew the drone, but has warned that North Korea faces regime collapse if the safety of South Koreans is threatened.
Many observers say North Korea is unlikely to start a full-scale war because it knows its military is inferior to that of the U.S. and South Korean militaries, and North Korea will eventually has stated that they aim to advance nuclear development as leverage to wrest sanctions relief from North Korea. US But they say miscalculations could still cause border clashes.
Outsiders are wondering whether North Korea’s constitutional reforms will include new legal territorial claims around South Korea’s disputed Western Maritime Border, which has been the scene of several deadly skirmishes and bloodshed over the past 25 years. It is attracting strong attention from
“South Korea and the United States do not need to overreact to North Korea’s moves. Recent drone incidents raise the possibility of miscalculation and escalation,” said expert Panda.
