North Korea Abandons Reunification Plan, Announces Plans for 2024 Spy Satellites
North Korea abandons reunification efforts with South Korea, opting for a new direction In 2024, the country plans to deploy advanced spy satellites, enhancing its military capabilities
North Korea's leader, Kim Jong Un, announced that his country will no longer pursue reconciliation and reunification with South Korea. He also stated that North Korea plans to launch three new military spy satellites into orbit by 2024. Kim described the current inter-Korean relations as a "relationship between two hostile countries and two belligerents at war," as reported by the state-run news agency KCNA.
"It is time for us to recognize the truth and redefine our relationship with the South," Kim stated. He also warned that any military confrontation with Pyongyang by Washington and Seoul would result in serious action from their nuclear war deterrent. "We cannot make the mistake of engaging with those who label us as the main enemy and only seek our regime collapse and unification by absorption. Collaboration for reconciliation and unification is no longer an option," Kim emphasized.
This photo, released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on September 8, 2023, shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un participating in a reported launching ceremony for a new tactical nuclear attack submarine in North Korea.
KCNA/Reyters
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Since the end of the Korean War in 1953, North and South Korea have been separated. Despite being technically at war, both governments have expressed the desire to reunify. In recent years, tensions have risen due to Kim Jong Un's escalation of the country's nuclear weapons program in defiance of international sanctions.
Kim recently ordered the country's military, munitions industry, nuclear weapons, and civil defense sectors to speed up war preparations in response to what the US deemed as "confrontation moves." KCNA also labeled the political and military situation on the Korean peninsula as "grave" and "extreme" due to the actions of the US.
Hoo Chiew-Ping, a senior fellow at the East Asian International Relations CAUCUS (EAIR) and member of the Asia Pacific Nuclear Advisory Panel (APNAP), stated that Kim's recent comments on reunification carry significant weight. According to Hoo, the North Korean leader has been moving further away from "inter-Korean relations" in recent years. "This will have a major impact on the Korean Peninsula, as future South Korean administrations' attempts at reconciliation will likely be vehemently rejected by North Korea," Hoo told CNN.
Pyongyang expressed a greater interest in strengthening its relations with current allies such as China and Russia, as well as a selected group of other countries that support its proliferation and financial endeavors," she noted. Currently, the US, South Korea, and Japan are not included in Kim's strategic outreach.
A ballistic missile is launched from an undisclosed location in North Korea on July 13, 2023.
Ja Ian Chong, an associate professor of political science and nonresident scholar at Carnegie China, stated that Kim's speech indicates that unification is not a feasible option for the Koreas in the near future.
In this scenario, the issue at hand is whether non-unification will result in the continuation of the current state of affairs, or if North Korea perceives a need to take more proactive measures to protect itself, or even preempt what it views as potential aggression from South Korea," Chong stated.
"The former is acceptable as long as North Korea aims to enhance its defensive capabilities, as it maintains the status quo and is preferable to pursuing armed unification. However, if the latter is the case, then there is a risk of increased friction and tensions with South Korea and Northeast Asia," he cautioned.
Spy satellites
After repeated failures, North Korea in November said it had put its first spy satellite into orbit.
According to analysts, the successful launch of the spacecraft could greatly enhance North Korea's military capabilities, allowing for more precise targeting of enemy forces. Images released by state media showed Kim celebrating the achievement with workers at the launch site. South Korea condemned the launch as a blatant violation of a UN Security Council resolution prohibiting North Korea from using ballistic missile technology.
On Sunday KCNA said North Korea plans to bolster that program with three additional spy satellites in the new year.
A photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency on July 13, 2023, shows the launch of the Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missile from an undisclosed location.
North Korea has test fired a ballistic missile that has the potential to reach the entire US, Japan has stated. In a statement, it was declared that based on the successful launch and operation of the first reconnaissance satellite in 2023, the goal of launching three additional reconnaissance satellites in 2024 is to aggressively advance the development of space science and technology.
In 2023, Pyongyang conducted numerous intercontinental ballistic missile tests, culminating in the launch of the Hwasong-17 ICBM on December 17. This display of advanced missile technology led defense experts and regional observers to conclude that North Korea's missile program is maturing. "While North Korea, like any country, experiences failed missile tests, it is evident that the overall reliability of its missiles is quite impressive," remarked Jeffrey Lewis, a professor at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies, in a previous interview with CNN.
Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul, pointed out that North Korea's testing and strong rhetoric may actually be benefiting Washington. He stated that the threat posed by North Korea is driving increased collaboration between the US, Japan, and South Korea, leading to the real-time sharing of missile tracking data. According to Easley, officials in Seoul were aware of the upcoming ICBM test and had coordinated with their counterparts in Washington and Tokyo in advance.
