Transport blasts end to 'evil relationship' with South: DPRK's Kim
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DPRK leader Kim Jong UN meets with military leaders and troops to discuss defense plans, after declaring South Korea a "hostile and foreign country."
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In this photo provided by the DPRK government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, center, visits the headquarters of the People’s Army’s 2nd Corps at an undisclosed place in DPRK Thursday, October 17, 2024 (AP)
South Korea is a "foreign" and "hostile country", said DPRK leader Kim Jong Un while visiting troops, stressing that the destruction of transportation routes marked the "end of an evil relationship."
According to the state-owned Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Kim visited the 2nd Corps of the Korean People's Army headquarters on Thursday to review defense plans after Pyongyang decided to destroy and cut off all transportation links with South Korea.
During discussions with military leaders, Kim emphasized that "our army should keep in mind once again the stark fact that the ROK [Republic of Korea, South Korea] is a foreign country and an apparent hostile country."
Both countries have seen significant tension and hostilities since Kim declared South Korea the country's "principal enemy", rejecting all prospects of the reunification of the two Koreas.
According to state media, the DPRK's constitution has now labeled South Korea as a "hostile country" following the establishment of legal changes called for by Kim earlier this year.
'The end of the evil relationship'
In the context of cutting off roads and rail routes with the South, Kim was quoted saying, it "means not only the physical closure but also the end of the evil relationship with Seoul which persistently lasted century after century... and unreasonable idea of reunification."
On Tuesday, South Korea's military published a video showing DPRK soldiers blowing up key roads and railways that link the two Koreas.
Experts suggest these detonations might have been aimed at domestic propaganda, noting that Pyongyang seemed to incorporate South Korean military images in its reports on the incident.
Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of DPRK leader and a prominent country spokesperson, expressed strong anger on Friday in response to claims from the South's military that their images were used without proper permission.
"I would like to inform those idiots of the fact that the photo is a screenshot from one of the video clips released by NBC, Fox News, Reuters and other foreign media," she wrote in a press statement for KCNA, adding that "their behaviour makes even a cat laugh."
South Korea on high alert as drone tensions escalate
On October 14, Seoul's military suggested that the DPRK may be preparing to blow up roads connected to the South, following Pyongyang’s recent announcement that it would "completely separate" the two territories.
This came after the military claimed it was "fully ready" to respond to rising tensions after DPRK ordered its border troops to prepare for potential firing in response to drone flights over Pyongyang.
The DPRK accused Seoul of flying drones into its capital to drop leaflets filled with "inflammatory rumors and rubbish" and warned that any further drone activity would be seen as "a declaration of war."
While Seoul’s military has denied responsibility for the flights, speculation has pointed to activist groups in South Korea, known for sending propaganda and US currency northward, often by balloons.
Kim Yo Jong issued a warning of a "horrible disaster" unless the flights cease. In a statement on Monday, she called the drone activity "an unpardonable, malicious challenge to our state" and demanded measures to prevent further violations of DPRK's airspace.
