North Korea says constitution now defines South as a ‘hostile state’
North Korean declaration came two days after it blew up sections of road and rail links with South Korea
North Korea said Thursday that its constitution now defines the South as a “hostile” state, the first time Pyongyang has confirmed legal changes called for by leader Kim Jong-un earlier this year.
Relations between the two Koreas have deteriorated since Kim in January defined Seoul as his country’s “principal enemy” and said the North was no longer interested in reunification.
After months of laying fresh mines and ramping up security on the border, the country this week blew up roads and railways linking it to the South, calling it “an inevitable and legitimate measure”, the official Korean Central News Agency said.
The move was “taken in keeping with the requirement of the DPRK Constitution, which clearly defines the ROK (South Korea) as a hostile state,” KCNA said, the first time the North has mentioned a revision of its basic law.
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China warns of escalating tensions on Korean peninsula after North blows up roads to South
The country last week held a key meeting of its rubber-stamp parliament, where experts had widely expected the constitution to be revised after Kim’s explicit call for it in January.