Kim Jong Un Disbands North Korean Civil Leadership Exchange Institution With South Korea

North Korean President Kim Jong-un arrives in Vladivostok, Russia. (ANTARA)

SEOUL - North Korea has announced it will dissolve the organization responsible for the civil exchange with South Korea, state media reported as Pyongyang called Seoul a "major enemy" that must be fully resolved.

The decision was made at a meeting of "officials in charge of matters with enemies" on Friday to carry out a "policy switch" to South Korea as instructed by leader Kim Jong-un at an important Labor Party meeting last month, according to the North Korean News Agency Center (KCNA).

All relevant organizations, including the North Side Committee for the Joint Implementation of June 15, the Pan-national Alliance Headquarters for North Korea Reunification, the Consultative Council for National Reconciliation and the Council for Reunification of the Tangun Nations, will be re-adjusted, KCNA said.

The meeting also called for a new reunification policy based on the view that the "South Korean talent" that is only pursuing the collapse of North Korea's power and unification through absorption is "the main enemy of the DPRK that must be completely destroyed."

The DPRK stands for North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

Langkah baru tersebut terjadi saat Korut meningkatkan provokasi setelah pemimpin Korut Kim mendefinisikan hubungan antar-Korean sebagai hubungan "antara dua negara yang saling bermusuhan" dan menyerukan peningkatan persiapan untuk "menegakan seluruh wilayah Korea Selatan" pada pertemuan partai berkuasa akhir tahun.

In the 8th plenary meeting of the Central Committee of the 8th Korean Labor Party, leader Kim called for "fundamental changes in dealing with South Korea and ordered steps to "adjust and reform" organizations responsible for inter-Korean affairs.

North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui led the discussion earlier this month to dissolve the United Front Department (UFD) responsible for relations with South Korea, according to state media.

Relations between South Korea and North Korea remain strained, with tensions rising sharply last week after Pyongyang fired about 350 artillery shells in waters off its west coast between January 5 and 7, which was the first shooting drill near the sea border since December 2022.