North Korea has destroyed a monument symbolizing hopes for reconciliation with South Korea, days after Kim Jong Un's regime leader said peaceful reunification of the two Koreas was no longer possible.
In the latest sign of rising tensions on the Korean peninsula, the Arch of Triumph, built in 2000 after the landmark inter-Korean summit, has disappeared from satellite images, according to the NK News website. It was not immediately clear when or how it was removed, NK News said.
Mr. Kim, who has taken a noticeably more belligerent tone in recent weeks, called the concrete arch depicting two women from the North and South holding up a coat of arms depicting the outline of the Korean peninsula an “eyesore” in his speech. Stated. There is only one month left until the Supreme People's Assembly, North Korea's rubber-stamp parliament.
He said North Korea's constitution should be amended to reflect South Korea's new status as its “main enemy” and that it would allow for the eventual unification of an authoritarian North and a democratic South. It added that this should effectively put an end to decades of official policy.
The 30-meter arch, officially known as the “Monument to the Three Charters of National Reunification,” symbolized independence, peace and national cooperation, according to South Korean government records.
The bridge is reportedly located on the Unification Expressway, which connects Pyongyang with the heavily armed southern border, and commemorates the unification plan advocated by Kim's grandfather and North Korea's founder, Kim Il Sung. It is said that it was built in
Although merely symbolic, the reported deletions add to concerns that North Korea may have taken a more provocative course in its relations with South Korea and its allies in the months before the U.S. presidential election. It will increase it.
The regime claimed to have launched its first reconnaissance satellite in November, and last week announced it had tested a new ballistic missile with a hypersonic warhead on its tip. South Korea's military on Wednesday said it fired several cruise missiles into the sea, two weeks after North Korea fired artillery shells near its disputed maritime border.
North Korea launched a missile to protest a joint military exercise by the South Korean and U.S. militaries that the regime views as a rehearsal for invasion.
Asked whether the provocative tone of North Korea's recent announcements (including statements that it is preparing for nuclear war) was a cause for concern, White House Press Secretary John Kirby said, “We are We are monitoring this very closely.”
“Let me just say that we continue to believe that the defense posture we maintain on the peninsula is appropriate to the risks,” he added.
There is little prospect of a return to the era of transnational proximity symbolized by this monument.
Under conservative President Yoon Seok-yeol, South Korea has taken a tougher stance toward North Korea, vowing to respond immediately and harshly to North Korea's provocations.
In response, North Korea declared that it would “annihilate” its neighboring country in the event of an attack by South Korean and U.S. forces. North Korea said late last year that a 2018 agreement with South Korea aimed at easing military tensions was no longer valid.
Last week, the Supreme People's Assembly abolished the government agency that oversaw engagement with South Korea.
Reuters contributed reporting.
