North Korean leader Kim Jong Un warned of a potential war as he called for a constitutional amendment to change the status of South Korea to that of a separate state.
He also warned that while his nation does not seek war, he does not necessarily intend to avoid such confrontations. Kim noted that his final conclusion was that unification with the South was no longer possible.
Kim Jong Un's remarks came during a speech to the Supreme People's Assembly, North Korea's rubber-stamp parliament. Kim also accused Seoul of seeking regime collapse and unification by absorption.
The state media KCNA also reported that three organizations responsible for dealing with unification and inter-Korean tourism are set to be shut down. The development comes as tensions between the two sides have worsened amid a series of missile tests and a push by Pyongyang to break with decades of policy and change it relates to the South, as per Reuters.
Analysts have argued that North Korea's foreign ministry can take over relations with Seoul and could help justify the use of nuclear weapons against the South in a future war. Kim called for South Korea to be designated as the "number one enemy" in its constitution. He noted that a war would decimate the South and deal an "unimaginable" defeat to the US.
The North Korean leader also said that if a war were to break out in the Korean peninsula, his nation's constitution should reflect the issue of "occupying," "recapturing," and "incorporating" the South into its territory.
Last week, former State Department official Robert Carlin and nuclear scientist Siegfried Hecker released a report for the US-based 38 North project. They said that they view the situation on the Korean Peninsula as more dangerous than it has ever been since early June 1950.
In a statement, the Supreme People's Assembly said that the two Koreas are now locked in an "acute confrontation." It added that it would be a serious mistake for the North to regard the South as a partner in diplomacy, according to the Associated Press.
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Reunification of the Two Koreas
The assembly added that the North Korean government will take "practical measures" to implement the decision to shut down the agencies managing relations with the South. Kim blamed South Korea and the US for supposedly raising regional tensions.
He argued that it had become impossible for his country to pursue reconciliation and peaceful reunification with the South. One of the agencies in question is the National Committee for Peaceful Reunification, the nation's main agency handling inter-Korean affairs since 1961.
The other two were the National Economic Cooperation Bureau and the Mount Kumgang International Tourism Administration. They were set to handle joint economic and tourism projects between the two Koreas.
On top of North Korea's missile tests, tensions in the Korean Peninsula escalated amid the South's expansion of its joint military training with the US. Kim made announcements last year where he said the North would launch three new military spy satellites, produce attack drones, and expand the country's nuclear materials, said The Hill.
