North Korea labels South Korea ‘hostile’

North Korea has amended its constitution to officially define South Korea as a ‘hostile’ state, according to the news agency AFP. This confirmation marks the first time the change in the status of South Korea has been declared. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un had earlier demanded the constitutional revision. The inter-Korean relationship has become increasingly strained lately, evidenced by North Korea’s recent detonation of parts of roads connecting to South Korea. In response to these explosions, the South Korean military fired warning shots and heightened their alert status along the border. North Korea’s state media agency KCNA reports that the constitutional change affirms the abandonment of unification as a national goal, describing the explosions as creating a complete blockade and ‘territorial separation’ — actions deemed legitimate and inevitable by North Korean standards.