North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (right) and South Korean President Yeon Suk-yeol (agencies)
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said that his country would not hesitate to eliminate South Korea if it was attacked by it, expressing his conviction that peace does not come through begging or negotiations, as he put it, at a time of deterioration in relations between the two countries.
North Korea's official news agency quoted Kim as saying, "If the enemy dares to use force against our country, we will make a bold decision that will change history, and we will not hesitate to mobilize all great powers to eliminate it."
The agency indicated that Kim made these statements during an event held by the North Korean Ministry of Defense to commemorate the founding of the army.
Kim described the decision taken by Pyongyang to classify South Korea as the country's "number one enemy" as the correct decision, stressing that "occupying its lands and overthrowing them in a state of emergency are for the eternal security of our country," according to what was reported in the agency.
A mutual feast
Last January, Pyongyang announced the change of South Korea's status in the country's constitution to a separate and hostile state, and considered it its "main enemy." It closed agencies dedicated to communication and efforts to unify the two countries, and threatened to wage war against it if it encroached on any inch of its territory.
Kim said in a speech he delivered before Parliament at the time that his final conclusion was that unity with the South was no longer possible, and he accused Seoul of seeking to demolish the regime and unity efforts, expressing his unwillingness to war, and not seeking to avoid it at the same time.
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol at the time criticized Pyongyang's move, saying it reflected North Korea's hostile nature toward his country, and pledged a double response to any provocation from the northern neighbor.
Yoon Suk-yeol stressed that his country's army has "overwhelming response capabilities," and accused North Korea of seeking to divide public opinion in his country. He said that Pyongyang's recent launch of a ballistic missile toward the East Sea is "a political step to divide South Korean public opinion."
The North Korean parliament voted in favor of repealing laws related to economic cooperation with the South, according to what official media announced yesterday, Thursday.
Relations between the two Koreas have been deteriorating since leader Kim Jong Un committed to strengthening his country's status as a nuclear power and resuming advanced intercontinental ballistic missile tests.
Source: Al Jazeera + French