South Korea called the North its "
enemy
" in a defense document on Thursday (February 16th), a term it is using for the first time in six years, signaling a further hardening of its stance on Pyongyang.
The two countries have technically been at war since the 1950-1953 Korean War ended in an armistice rather than a peace treaty.
After the failure of a rare diplomatic round in 2019, the talks have stalled.
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Impression of a "return to the cold war"
North Korea "
defined us as an 'indisputable enemy'"
in December 2022, Seoul says in a new defense white paper, officially released on Thursday.
"
Therefore, the North Korean regime and the North Korean army (...) are our enemy
", continues the text.
Read alsoNorth Korea unveils record number of missiles during military parade
This move illustrates the state of inter-Korean relations, "
filled with confrontations
", Yang Moo-jin, professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, told AFP.
“
It even gives the impression of a throwback to the Cold War era,
” he notes.
In the North, Kim Jong-un is stepping up efforts in military development, and he declared last year that his country's status as a military power was "
irreversible
".
Pyongyang has carried out regular nuclear tests, including intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launches despite sanctions imposed by the international community.
Growing threat
In response, the new conservative government in Seoul has stepped up joint exercises with its main security ally, Washington.
"
Pyongyang passed a law last year enshrining the right to use pre-emptive nuclear strikes
," said An Chan-il, a defector-turned-researcher who heads the World Institute for North Korean Studies.
“
To do nothing in response would not have been appropriate
,” he added to AFP.
South Korea's biannual defense white paper first described Pyongyang as an "
enemy
" in 1994, after a North Korean official threatened to rain "
a sea of fire
" on the South, and the term was used until around 2000.
It was then abandoned for a few years, before reappearing in 2010 after North Korea was accused of sinking a South Korean warship, killing 46 sailors.
It was dropped again under former South Korean President Moon Jae-in.
South Korea's current president, Yoon Suk Yeol, took over from Moon in May 2022, and has pledged to be tougher with the North.
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