North Korea said Thursday its constitution clearly defines South Korea as a "hostile state," the first time Pyongyang has confirmed the basic law has been revised in line with leader Kim Jong-un's order to codify the South as an enemy, not a partner for reconciliation and unification.
The Korean Central News Agency made the report while reporting on the North's blowing up earlier this week of roads and railways connected to South Korea that were once considered key symbols of inter-Korean reconciliation.
"This is an inevitable and legitimate measure taken in keeping with the requirement of the DPRK Constitution which clearly defines the ROK as a hostile state, and due to the serious security circumstances running to the unpredictable brink of war owing to the grave political and military provocations of the hostile forces," KCNA reported in an English-language article.
ROK and DPRK stand for the official names of South Korea and North Korea, respectively: the Republic of Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
Last week, North Korea convened a key parliamentary meeting and revised its constitution, yet had remained silent whether leader Kim's "two hostile states" was included in the revision or removed unification-related clauses in line with Kim's order.
Last December, during a year-end party meeting, Kim described inter-Korean relations as those between "two states hostile to each other" and stated that reconciliation or unification with South Korea was no longer a goal.
In January, Kim called for revising the constitution to define South Korea as its "invariable principal enemy." He also ordered officials to take steps to "physically and completely" cut off the railway tracks to an "irretrievable level."
Under a 1991 inter-Korean accord, known as the Basic Agreement, relations between South and North Korea are defined as a "special relationship" tentatively formed in the process of seeking reunification, not as state-to-state relations.
Friday's report did not provide further details about the constitutional changes, but it is widely expected that the major points of the revised constitution will be revealed through other means in the future.
On Tuesday, South Korea's military announced that North Korea has blown parts of its roads, after North Korea said it would permanently block its border with South Korea and build front-line defense structures.
The Koreas are connected by roads and railways along the Gyeongui Line, which connects the South's western border city of Paju to the North's Kaesong, and the Donghae Line along the east coast.
The KCNA said Thursday that parts of both roads and the railway in Gangwon Province along the east coast and part of the roads and railways in Kaesong "have been completely blocked through blasting."
North Korea said the move was "part of the phased complete separation of its territory" and said it "will continue to take measures to permanently fortify the closed southern border." (Yonhap)
