N. Korea reports road explosion after two days, announces constitutional amendment labeling ‘S. Korea as a hostile state’

[Anchor]

North Korea reported today (10.17) the news of the demolition of the inter-Korean connection roads two days after the event.

They cited constitutional requirements as the reason for the demolition, indicating that they recently designated South Korea as a hostile state through constitutional amendments.

Reporter Yoo Ho-yoon has the story.

[Report]

This is a satellite image of the northern area of the Gyeongui Line that North Korea demolished on Oct. 15th.

The ground has been roughly excavated, showing a clear difference from its appearance before the demolition.

North Korean media reported the related news two days after the demolition.

North Korea identified a 60-meter section of the Gyeongui Line and Donghae Line roads and railways as the demolition point, claiming that they completely severed the connection to thoroughly separate their territory from South Korea.

North Korea particularly asserted that this demolition was carried out in accordance with the requirements of the republic's constitution, which designates South Korea as a thorough hostile state.

This suggests that during last week's Supreme People's Assembly, they defined South Korea as a "thorough hostile state" in the constitutional amendments.

This is the first mention of the content related to the constitutional amendment, but it remains unclear whether the territorial clause directed by Chairman Kim Jong-un earlier this year has been newly established in the constitution.

[Hong Min/Senior Research Fellow, Korea Institute for National Unification: "When the territorial clause is fully incorporated into the constitution, the potential impact it could have domestically and internationally is so significant that it is possible they either did not include it this time or described it broadly in the preamble."]

North Korea announced that it will continue to take measures to permanently fortify the closed southern border and hinted at additional actions.

Additionally, it has been confirmed that North Korea has stopped using the "Juche era" based on the year 1912, the birth year of Chairman Kim Il-sung, in the Rodong Sinmun since the afternoon of Oct. 12th.

North Korea has been indicating the Juche era alongside the Gregorian calendar in speeches and official media articles since 1997.

The Ministry of Unification assessed this as part of Kim Jong-un's independent idolization that has been shown since this year.

KBS News, Yoo Ho-yoon.