'No Intention Of Avoiding War': North Korea’s Kim Jong Un Dismantles Agencies Working For Reunification With South Korea

North Korea has dismantled several government entities responsible for fostering reconciliation and reunification with South Korea, with leader Kim Jong Un asserting that his country is not shying away from the prospect of war. Recently, Kim labeled South Korea as a "principal enemy" and deemed attempts at reunification as a "mistake that we should no longer make."

Addressing North Korea's legislative body, the Supreme People's Assembly, Kim conveyed that unification with South Korea is no longer viable. He proposed a constitutional amendment to designate South Korea as a separate, "hostile country," as reported by the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Tuesday.

While expressing a lack of desire for war, Kim emphasized that North Korea does not intend to avoid it, according to statements quoted by KCNA. The Supreme People's Assembly announced the closure of three organizations involved in inter-Korean reconciliation efforts: the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Country, the National Economic Cooperation Bureau, and the (Mount Kumgang) International Tourism Administration.

The assembly's statement, as per KCNA, highlighted the heightened confrontation between the two Koreas, describing them as "the two most hostile states, which are at war, [now] in acute confrontation on the Korean peninsula." This decision further strains relations between the two countries, exacerbated by recent missile tests conducted by Pyongyang.

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol criticized North Korea's characterization of his country as hostile, characterizing it as indicative of Pyongyang's "anti-national and ahistorical" nature. North Korea recently announced the testing of a new solid-fuel missile with a hypersonic warhead, following the launch of its Hwasong-18 solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile.

Joint military exercises by Japan, South Korea, and the United States, perceived by Pyongyang as rehearsals for a potential invasion, have intensified in response to North Korea's weapons tests. Over the weekend, US Senior Official for the DPRK, Jung H Pak, along with counterparts from South Korea and Japan, jointly condemned North Korea's latest missile tests in a call, as reported by the US State Department on Monday.