Pyongyang’s hard line is consolidated
Kim Jong Un does not mince words. This Monday, before the Supreme People’s Assembly, he reaffirmed that North Korea’s nuclear status is irreversible. And he threw a poisoned dart to the south of the peninsula.
He described South Korea as the “most hostile” state.
It’s not just talk. Analysts see this as a strategic shift. Pyongyang no longer considers Seoul a useful interlocutor with Washington. He is a direct enemy.
A wall of mistrust
Demonization has a clear objective: to shield the regime. Kim despises South Korean soft power — its culture, its language — and reinforces his family’s authoritarian control. Meanwhile, he praises the expansion of missiles and nuclear weapons as the “correct” way to guarantee security.
Accuses the United States of global “state terrorism and aggression.” And make it clear that you will respond to any adverse action. The message is for internal and external consumption: there is no room for concessions here.
What is worrying is the context. Since the summit with Trump collapsed in 2019, Kim has suspended all serious dialogue with Washington and Seoul. Instead, he has prioritized Russia, even sending military equipment to Ukraine.
Now, with a revised constitution that could enshrine South Korea as a permanent enemy, the door to negotiations is closing a little more. The question is what comes next when words become policy set in stone.
