North Korean leader declares 'end of relations' with South Korea, warns of use of force if sovereignty violated, Seoul emphasizes 'unity' message

On October 17, North Korean President Kim Jong Un warned that he would use force if his country's sovereignty was violated.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspects the headquarters of the Second Corps of the Korean People's Army on October 17. (Source: KCNA)

Two days after North Korea blew up road and railway links with South Korea, once seen as important symbols of inter-Korean reconciliation, Chairman Kim Jong Un inspected the headquarters of the Korean People's Army's Second Corps.

On October 18, in a report about the above inspection trip, the North Korean central news agency KCNA quoted the leader as noting that the meaning of the above action is not only "physically closing but also ending the relationship with Seoul that has lasted for centuries and completely erasing the useless perception of the absurd idea of ​​unification".

" We need to remember once again the harsh truth that South Korea is a foreign country and a clearly hostile country," he stressed.

In addition, the head of the Northeast Asian country warned that if North Korea's sovereignty is violated, its armed forces will be "used without hesitation, without any conditions" and that these will be "legitimate retaliation against a hostile country, not against fellow countrymen".

According to Chairman Kim Jong Un, only peace protected by great power capable of subduing enemies is a reliable, safe, lasting peace and a sure guarantee for the prosperity and future of our country and people .

Meanwhile, on the South Korean side, on October 17, Unification Minister Kim Yung Ho described the unification of the Korean Peninsula as a "moral obligation".

According to Yonhap news agency, in a speech in the US capital Washington, Minister Kim Yung-ho stated: "I think we must approach the issue of unification from the perspective of moral obligation and value-oriented perspective, separate from the economic cost-benefit calculation."

He noted that South Korea will pursue a "free and peaceful" unification under the doctrine that President Yoon Suk Yeol announced last August based on the principles of freedom, peace and prosperity.

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