North Korean leader declares 'end of relations' with South Korea, warns 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 the 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 roads and railways linking it to South Korea, once seen as an important symbol of inter-Korean reconciliation, Chairman Kim Jong Un inspected the headquarters of the Second Corps of the Korean People's Army.

On October 18, in a report about the inspection trip, the North Korean central news agency KCNA quoted the leader as noting that the significance of the move was not only "physically closing the border but also ending the centuries-long relationship with Seoul 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 Washington, DC, 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 economic cost-benefit calculations."

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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