North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has called for revising the constitution to designate South Korea as the country’s “enemy number one.” This marks a significant shift in Pyongyang’s strategic and diplomatic posture, signaling a clearer departure from prior efforts at normalization and engagement.
During the opening day of the current session of the Supreme People’s Assembly, Kim delivered an extended address criticizing Washington and Seoul-backed policies as paths that would doom North Korea. He argued that these policies left Pyongyang with little room to maneuver except to prepare for potential military confrontation, as reported by the KCNA news agency.
In line with his recent public messages, Kim asserted that there can be no reconciliation or reunification with the South under the current terms. He suggested that in the event of hostilities, the issue should be explicitly addressed, even mentioning the possibility of a formal constitutional framework to reflect a state of permanent division. The leader framed the current moment as the culmination of nearly eight decades of North-South relations and urged a sweeping new policy approach toward the South. Analysts note this represents a deliberate hardening of tone and a structural shift in Pyongyang’s diplomacy, following the inconclusive efforts surrounding the 2019 Hanoi summit and more recent signs of closer ties with Beijing and Moscow.
Kim also warned that a growing security alliance between Japan and the Republic of Korea poses a grave risk to North Korea’s national security. He called on all government organs at every level to implement measures that would prepare the nation for a rapid transition to a wartime footing in emergencies, including the construction of comprehensive plans for national resistance.
The leader indicated that a decision taken over the weekend would be implemented immediately. As part of the new policy orientation, he ordered the dissolution of civil exchange organizations with the South that had been established over the past fifty years in an effort to foster rapprochement. This move underscores a broader aim to isolate the North and redefine cross-border interaction in the name of security. In a striking departure from prior practice, Kim proposed the removal of symbols and monuments associated with peaceful reunification. He spoke of measures that would physically disrupt links between the two halves of the peninsula, including the potential shutdown of historical transportation corridors such as the old Gyeongui Line and even the demolition of the Reunification Arch near Pyongyang, signaling a dramatic reimagining of the symbolic landscape surrounding inter-Korean relations.