North Korean leader Kim Jong Un reminded his troops to treat South Korea as a hostile foreign enemy and insisted that the North wouldn't hesitate to attack its rival if the South infringes upon its sovereignty, state media said Friday.
Kim's comments at an army headquarters came after North Korea this week confirmed that it revised its constitution to define South Korea as "a hostile state" and blew up front-line road and rail links that were once connected to the South.
The steps punctuated Kim's calls for North Korea to abandon its longstanding goals of reconciling with the South and reflect his intent to escalate tensions and increase leverage amid a deepening stalemate in diplomacy. Analysts see increasing risks of possible clashes along the rivals' tense border areas, although it would be highly unlikely for the North to contemplate full-scale attacks in the face of superior U.S. and South Korean forces.
During a visit to the headquarters of the North Korean People's Army's 2nd Corps on Thursday, Kim stressed to troops the importance of understanding that any use of offensive force against the South would constitute a "legitimate retaliatory action against the hostile country, not the fellow countrymen."
He said the North's detonation of the border road and rail sections on Tuesday demonstrated the North's resolve to cut off persistent "evil" relations with the South, which "lasted century after century and the complete removal of the useless awareness about fellow countrymen and unreasonable idea of reunification."
