[Exclusive] North Korea distancing from South Korea since martial law: NIS chief nominee

South Korea's spy chief nominee Lee Jong-seok said Tuesday that North Korea appears to be keeping a strategic distance from the South since the martial law debacle in December.

"North Korea has been thoroughly keeping its distance from and ignoring South Korea since the martial law declaration at the end of last year," Lee said in a written response submitted to the National Assembly, accessed by The Korea Herald.

Lee said that the pause in North Korea's trash balloon offensives and political commentaries aimed at Seoul seems to be part of its distancing policy.

"North Korea has not shown a reaction to the recent propaganda leafleting by South Korean civilian organizations, for instance, which is a sensitive issue for Pyongyang," Lee said.

Lee noted that North Korea has been refraining from commenting on South Korea's political situation.

"North Korea is opting for fact-based, brief statements rather than commentaries regarding the domestic political events in South Korea," Lee said. "North Korea hasn't reacted to the new South Korean administration's announcements, such as nominations of foreign and security officials."

North Korea's shift in stance after the short-lived declaration of martial law contrasts with its series of offensives throughout the previous year.

After declaring the inter-Korean relationship one of "two hostile countries" in late 2023, North Korea staged new forms of provocations, blowing up roads and railways connecting to the South and sending trash-filled balloons toward the South, on top of missile launches.

Lee said North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's daughter Ju-ae is his likely successor based on what's been revealed so far, such as how she is treated in the state media. But he noted that she does not appear to have been formally nominated yet.

"There are many variables at play, including Ju-ae's young age, Kim Jong-un's other children and the North's patriarchal culture," Lee said.

Lee said that North Korea conducting another nuclear test was a "constant possibility." As for if and when a seventh nuclear test could take place, Lee said that North Korea would consider factors such as future negotiations with the US.

On whether North Korea's newest intercontinental ballistic missile could reach the US mainland, Lee said it was "possible in theory, at its longest range." But as the new ICBM was never tested at a normal angle, its full capabilities still needed "further evaluations," Lee added.

On the possibility of a summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim, Lee said it depended on how Pyongyang responds to Washington signaling an openness to dialogue.

Lee has to go through the National Assembly's confirmation hearing on Thursday before he is appointed.