Fears of the potential final closure of prospects for peaceful reunification of Korea are compelling the South (Republic of Korea) to respond extremely inadequately to any, even internal, steps taken by the North (DPRK).
October 7-8, the Supreme People’s Assembly (SPA) of the DPRK adopted amendments to the country’s Constitution, the essence of which has not yet been published. However, the very fact of such changes greatly alarmed South Korea’s political elite.
Seoul’s media immediately pointed out two recent statements made by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un: the first during a plenum of the Workers’ Party of Korea in December 2023, where he described inter-Korean relations as relations between “two hostile states,” and the second during a previous SPA session in January of this year, calling for the Constitution to be revised to define South Korea as the “unchanging primary enemy” and to enshrine the obligation of “complete occupation” of South Korean territory in the event of war.
Kim Young-ho, the South Korean Unification Minister, declared on October 8 that the DPRK’s Constitutional amendments could escalate regional tensions. He also pledged that Seoul would implement “decisive measures against North Korea’s anti-national and hostile conduct.”
In turn, on October 9, the DPRK closed communication routes with the ROK, and the General Staff of North Korea declared that “roads and railways to the South will be dismantled, and powerful defensive structures will begin to be built at the border (the demarcation line between the two countries established by the 1953 agreement).” Pyongyang justified this decision by citing ROK military exercises and the regular appearance of US strategic weapons in the region.
The DPRK claims that military actions and threats from the US and ROK have reached an unprecedented level, forcing Pyongyang to take tough and decisive measures to ensure the security of the state.
On October 14, South Korea’s armed forces reported that Pyongyang might be preparing to blow up inter-Korean roads, particularly on the western and eastern sections of the demarcation line – which now has already occurred. They reported this to their American partners to “prevent any miscalculations and accidental conflicts due to the strengthening of the border.” The South Korean military also stated that they are closely monitoring the DPRK’s actions, “taking additional security measures for the troops and civilian population.”
It is worth noting that while the ROK talks about North Korea’s “hostile behavior,” it allows itself to take similar actions toward the DPRK. Regular joint military exercises by the ROK and the US against the DPRK are standard practice for Seoul. However, Pyongyang is equally outraged by the continuous dispatch of propaganda materials from the South, which are allegedly carried out by South Korean civic organizations that include DPRK defectors among their members, without Seoul’s knowledge.
On October 3, North Korea received about 700 balloons. According to South Korean media, these balloons contained rice, noodles, one-dollar bills, Bibles, and USB flash drives with recordings of music and dramas.
In response to such dispatches, North Korea typically sends balloons filled with household garbage to the South. These balloons safely land in the ROK because the South Korean military simply does not detect them, despite their claims that they do not destroy them for safety reasons.
According to a report from the ROK Ministry of Defense, presented in parliament on October 8 as part of a government agency audit, from late May to late September, North Korea sent 5,500 balloons with garbage and waste toward the South, which, according to the South Korean military, cost Pyongyang 550 million won (about 410,000 USD), though North Korea could have used this money to buy approximately 970 tons of rice. Seoul believes that by doing so, Pyongyang is creating tension among the ROK Armed Forces and the general South Korean public.
On October 11, North Korea reported that it had detected South Korean drones with propaganda leaflets over Pyongyang three times since the beginning of the month. Officials warned, “A terrible disaster awaits South Korea if drones fly to the North again.”
Furthermore, in response, Pyongyang sent about 40 more balloons with garbage and waste to the South on the same day, marking the 27th such launch since May of this year. A military inspection of the balloons that landed in the South showed that they contained no dangerous substances, only paper, plastic bottles, and other household waste. This is what Pyongyang considers equivalent to Seoul’s propaganda trash.
North Korea took the appearance of South Korean drones over its capital seriously, ordering North Korean artillery units to be in full combat readiness on October 12. Additionally, on October 13, Pyongyang emphasized, ” We have repeatedly warned that we will act at our discretion,” considering any “newly sighted drones” to belong to the ROK and treating this as a “declaration of war.”
The ROK Joint Chiefs of Staff declined to confirm whether Pyongyang’s statements were accurate, though earlier the ROK Defense Minister denied that the military had sent drones to the North.
The ROK Ministry of Defense responded to Pyongyang’s accusations on October 13, saying the North Korean authorities should start by halting the disgraceful launches of trash balloons, rather than being scared of a mere drop of ‘leaflets from drones,’ “which cannot even identify.” Additionally, the military threatened that any attempt to harm the South Korean people would mean “the end of the regime” in North Korea.
Seoul believes that Pyongyang’s statements “reflect the North’s hypocritical behavior,” as it continues provocations by resorting to “vulgar and petty” tactics, such as launching balloons filled with garbage, and accused Pyongyang of shifting blame to cover for its “ongoing failures,” including unsuccessful military spy satellite launches.
In turn, Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, said on October 14: “We know for sure” that the main culprit in the drone incident over Pyongyang is the trash from South Korean soldiers. She also accused the US of being involved in the incident.
One can only hope that tensions will ease and both sides will return to peaceful negotiations, aiming at least for peaceful coexistence if not for reunification. Of course, this is contingent upon Seoul’s overseas partner.