Kim Jong-un "Will Use Nuclear Weapons if Balance is Broken"... Building Justification for 'Two-State Theory'

No Intent to Attack South, Yet Packaging 'Two-State Theory'
Backlash Against Strengthening ROK-US Alliance... "No Exclusion of Nuclear Use"
Supreme People's Assembly Expected to Discuss Constitutional Amendment Removing 'Unification'

North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un stated that he has no intention of attacking the South, but once again issued a nuclear threat, saying that the use of nuclear weapons cannot be ruled out if the "balance of power" is destroyed. As the Supreme People's Assembly of North Korea, where a constitutional amendment to "delete unification" is expected, is underway, this is interpreted as an attempt to build a justification for the "two-state theory."

According to the Korean Central News Agency on the 8th, Kim visited Kim Jong Un National Defense Comprehensive University the day before and, in a speech, described President Yoon Suk-yeol's Armed Forces Day commemorative address as "vulgar and obscene nonsense," stating, "A wise politician would not recklessly gamble with the safety of the state and the people, but rather put more effort and thought into managing the situation to prevent military clashes with a nuclear state rather than confrontation and conflict."

Kim Jong-un, congratulatory visit to Kim Jong-un National Defense Comprehensive University on its 60th anniversary [Image source=Yonhap News]

He said that North Korea is no longer interested at all in the past claims of "liberation of the South" and "unification by force," asserting, "The way for the Republic of Korea to live safely is for us not to use military force." He emphasized, "We have absolutely no intention of attacking the Republic of Korea," adding, "Just being conscious of it gives me chills."

He likened the strengthening of the South Korea-U.S. alliance and the establishment of the Strategic Command to a "war frenzy," arguing that "the destruction of the balance of power means war." In particular, he threatened, "If the enemies attempt to use force against our state, the Republic's armed forces will not hesitate to use all attacks," and "the use of nuclear weapons is not excluded."

The gist of Kim's speech is that North Korea wants to distance itself from the South based on the "two-state theory," but the South is trying to break the "balance of power" by bringing the U.S. into the Korean Peninsula. On the surface, North Korea claims it has no intention of attacking the South first, but it threatened that it could carry out a nuclear attack depending on North Korea's standards and needs. Since it has defined our military preparedness against North Korea's nuclear development as "provocative behavior," it appears to be building a justification to enforce the "two-state theory."

North Korea appears to have been holding the Supreme People's Assembly, equivalent to our National Assembly, since the day before. The main agenda is "discussion on amending the socialist constitution." This is a follow-up measure after Kim declared the "hostile two-state theory" at the end of last year and defined inter-Korean relations as "in a state of war." The key issue is how to define the "border line" between the North and South in the new territorial, maritime, and airspace provisions after deleting the concept of unification from the North Korean constitution. The government expects North Korea to mention a comprehensive border in the constitution and then gradually disclose details through subordinate laws.

Meanwhile, North Korea has not reported the holding of the Supreme People's Assembly to domestic and foreign media as of this day. Usually, related reports are released the day after the meeting, but if it is not completed within a day, the contents are disclosed after all schedules are finished. In the past, when the Supreme People's Assembly was held for two days, Chairman Kim usually gave a direct speech.