“The Most Hostile State”: Kim Jong Un Formally Abandons Unification with South Korea
PYONGYANG, North Korea — In a move that fundamentally redraws the political map of the Korean Peninsula, Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un has officially declared South Korea the “most hostile nation” to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). The declaration, delivered during a landmark session of the Supreme People’s Assembly, marks the final burial of a decades-long policy aimed at peaceful reunification.
The formal designation of Seoul as a “permanent enemy” follows months of escalating rhetoric and missile tests, signaling that Pyongyang no longer views the South as a “consanguineous” partner, but as a “colonial puppet” of the United States that must be subjugated or destroyed in the event of war.
A Constitutional Divorce
Kim’s address to the Assembly was not merely rhetorical; it was a mandate for constitutional change. The North Korean leader ordered the removal of all language referring to “reunification,” “reconciliation,” and “fellow countrymen” from the nation’s founding documents.
“We have reached the final conclusion that it is no longer possible to seek reconciliation and unification with those who have branded us as their ‘principal enemy’ and seek the collapse of our social system,” Kim stated. He further directed the government to dismantle all organizations dedicated to inter-Korean dialogue, including the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Country.
The Three “No’s” of the New Doctrine
Kim’s new policy can be summarized by a sharp pivot toward total military confrontation:
- No Dialogue: Rejection of all diplomatic channels with the Yoon Suk-yeol administration.
- No Shared Identity: The classification of South Koreans as a “foreign” and “hostile” entity.
- No Restraint: A warning that North Korea will occupy the South in its entirety should a conflict break out, utilizing its “irreversible” nuclear arsenal.
Timing and Global Context
The timing of this “hostile state” declaration is seen by regional analysts as a calculated move to exploit the U.S. focus on the Middle East and Venezuela. By heightening tensions on the peninsula, Kim is ensuring that Pyongyang remains a central pillar of the “anti-imperialist” front alongside Russia and Iran.
“Kim is burning the bridges he never intended to cross again,” said a senior researcher at the Sejong Institute in Seoul. “By labeling the South as the ‘most hostile nation,’ he provides his military with the ideological justification to treat any border skirmish as an act of total war between two separate, warring states.”
The View from Seoul and Washington
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol responded to the news by placing the military on “highest alert,” calling Kim’s remarks “anti-national and ahistorical.” Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department condemned the rhetoric, reiterating that the “Extended Deterrence” policy—backed by the full range of American capabilities, including nuclear—remains ironclad.
As the Supreme People’s Assembly concluded with the singing of a revised national anthem—stripped of references to a unified “three-thousand-ri” land—the “Sunshine Policy” era was officially declared dead. In its place stands a peninsula divided not just by a fence, but by a constitutional declaration of eternal enmity.