Park Ji-won is a writer for The Korea Times who has been covering a wide range of topics from Korea’s culture to its politics. An avid journalism enthusiast to the core, Ji-won brings a thoughtful and unique perspective to every topic she covers. On weekends, you'll often find her contemplating life’s purpose on a yoga mat — with a cup of quality tea in hand. A native Korean speaker by birth and fluent in English through her work, she went to college in Japan and is learning Chinese and French — hoping to add Polish, Russian and Thai to the mix.
North Korea pushes two-state paradigm, declares South ‘most hostile state’
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un speaks to the 15th Supreme People’s Assembly on the second and final day of its first session Monday, in this photo published by the state-run Korean Central News Agency the following day. Yonhap
By Park Ji-won
Experts suggest North Korea has abandoned 1991 inter-Korean framework
North Korea’s designation of South Korea as “the most hostile state” signals the effective end of the “provisional special relationships” framework that has governed inter-Korean ties since 1991, experts said, urging Seoul to adapt to Pyongyang’s fundamentally redefined stance and recalibrate its approach to reflect a two-state reality.
“Up until now, the North has defined the relationship with the South based on the understanding that we are the same people, seeking unification. But upon the North’s designation of the South as an independent and ‘hostile’ nation, the two countries can no longer make an agreement under the provincial special relationships written on the 1991 Basic Agreement,” Koh Yu-hwan, professor emeritus of North Korean studies at Dongguk University, told The Korea Times Tuesday.
Koh said it remains unclear whether the term “hostile state” will appear in the North’s revised constitution, but he expects the document to delete language defining the two Koreas as one.
“That is one of the reasons the unification ministry of South Korea had no choice but to pivot toward a framework of ‘peaceful coexistence of two countries,’” he added.
According to the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said Monday at the second and final day of the first session of the Supreme People’s Assembly, “(We) publicly recognize that South Korea is the most hostile state and will thoroughly reject and dismiss the South through clear words and actions.”
Kim warned that any South Korean provocation against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea would “face merciless consequences without hesitation” and reaffirmed the North’s nuclear posture, saying Pyongyang would “firmly consolidate our status as a nuclear weapon state with no retreat.”
U.S. President Donald Trump, right, and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un pose during a summit at the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi in the Vietnamese capital on Feb. 28, 2019. The two sides failed to reach any consensus during their second meeting. / Yonhap
The term “hostile state” was first mentioned by Kim in late December 2023, when he said “the two Koreas are hostile nations at war” during a party meeting. Ever since, Kim has repeated the term regardless of presidential changes in South Korea. While Pyongyang has not publicly released its revised constitution, analysts widely expect it to legalize or stipulate the language.
In response, Seoul’s unification ministry said it would press ahead with efforts toward peaceful coexistence while keeping unification as its long-term goal.
“The South Korean government will continue to make consistent efforts under the policy of developing inter-Korean relations into peaceful and coexisting relationships centered around unification.”
The North’s Socialist Constitution of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea was renamed the Constitution of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, while the country introduced a police system as part of its efforts to be seen as a normal state, an unification ministry official added.
Yang Moo-jin, former president of the University of North Korean Studies, drew a contrast between the North’s stance toward Seoul and its attitude toward Washington.
“The North is not showing any signs of dialogue with the South. But with the United States, it adjusted the tone of its remarks as it takes into consideration potential talks with the U.S. after the Russia-Ukraine War,” Yang said, noting that directly antagonizing U.S. President Donald Trump would not serve Pyongyang’s interests.
Regarding the North’s self-declaration as a nuclear weapon state, Yang sees it as a distinctive policy that distinguishes Kim from his predecessors, serving as a major achievement.
“Based on the confidence of holding nuclear power, the North will likely take a hostile attitude against the South,” Yang said.