(2nd LD) N. Korea's Kim formally calls S. Korea 'most hostile' nation

▲ North Korean leader Kim Jong-un speaks to the 15th Supreme People's Assembly on the second and final day of its first session on March 23, 2026, in this photo published by the Korean Central News Agency the following day. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

▲ North Korean leader Kim Jong-un speaks to the 15th Supreme People's Assembly on the second and final day of its first session on March 23, 2026, in this photo published by the Korean Central News Agency the following day. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

(2nd LD) NK leader-S Korea

(2nd LD) N. Korea's Kim formally calls S. Korea 'most hostile' nation

(ATTN: UPDATES with more info in paras 2, 9-11; REPLACES photos)

By Park Boram

SEOUL, March 24 (Yonhap) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un formally called South Korea the "most hostile state" and warned of merciless consequences if provoked by Seoul, the North's state media reported Tuesday.

Kim also reiterated his country's status as a nuclear weapons state will never change in a speech Monday, the second and final day of the first session of the newly elected 15th Supreme People's Assembly, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

North Korea "officially recognized" South Korea "as the most hostile nation and will thoroughly ignore and disregard it through the clearest remarks and actions," Kim was quoted as saying by the KCNA.

He also warned of "merciless" consequences against South Korea if Seoul carries out any acts that provoke North Korea.

The KCNA reported that North Korea had discussed a revision of its constitution, but it was not known whether such a revision officially recognized South Korea as a "hostile state."

In Monday's speech, Kim said the constitution was revised to reflect the necessary demands of national development, without providing further details.

North Korea's constitution calls for the peaceful reunification of the two Koreas, and Pyongyang had been expected to amend the provision after Kim ordered a legal revision in 2024 to define Seoul as "the No. 1 hostile country."

North Korea has since adopted a hostile stance toward Seoul, repeatedly ruling out the possibility of inter-Korean engagement.

Meanwhile, Kim accused the United States of carrying out terrorism and invasions in many parts of the world, apparently referring to its ongoing war with Iran, though he did not directly mention U.S. President Donald Trump.

"Dignity, interest and the final victory of a country can only be guaranteed by the most powerful might," the KCNA quoted Kim as saying. "Whether the enemies choose confrontation or peaceful coexistence, that's their choice, and we are ready to respond to any choice."

He vowed to further advance North Korea's "defensive nuclear deterrence" and maintain a "prompt and precise" response posture for its nuclear forces to address "strategic threats" to national and regional security.

North Korea "will continue to solidify its status as a nuclear weapons state ... while aggressively staging campaigns to crush any provocations by hostile forces," Kim said.

In a parliamentary meeting in 2022, North Korea enacted a new nuclear law authorizing the preemptive use of nuclear arms, calling its status of a nuclear state "irreversible."

(END)

(C) Yonhap News Agency. All Rights Reserved