North Korea Declares South Korea Permanently Excluded as "Fellow Nation," to Enshrine Nuclear-Armed Status in Constitution, Leaves Room for Talks with US

[The Financial News] North Korea has declared that it will permanently exclude South Korea from the category of the same nation. At the same time, it stated that it could get along with the United States of America (US) if Washington abandons its hostile policy. Pyongyang also stressed that its status as a nuclear-armed state will be sustained by writing it into the constitution. North Korea unveiled these policies toward the US and South Korea in conjunction with the closing of the 8th Congress of the Workers’ Party of Korea.
According to Rodong Sinmun on the 26th, Kim Jong Un declared a break in dialogue with South Korea and its exclusion as a fellow nation in his Report on the Work of the Eighth Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea. He criticized the ruling forces in Seoul, accusing them of plotting to bring about the collapse of the North Korean system.
He argued, "The conciliatory attitude of the current ruling regime in South Korea is a clumsy charade. It harbors the ambition to transform the entire Korean Peninsula into a capitalist system, and under the banner of reconciliation and peace, it is a harmful entity that pushes for disarmament by touting denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula."
He went on to say, "The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) has nothing to discuss with the Republic of Korea (ROK), which is the most hostile entity, and we will permanently exclude South Korea from the category of the same nation. In relations with South Korea, what remains for us is only a cool-headed calculation based on national interests and a thorough response."
By contrast, he left some room for dialogue with the US. Kim stated, "If the United States of America (US) respects the current status of our state as stipulated in the Constitution of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and withdraws its hostile policy toward the DPRK, then we have no reason why we cannot get along well with the US." However, he added, "If the US fails to break away from its habitual practices and continues to confront us to the end, we will consistently respond in a proportional manner, and we have ample means and methods to do so." He further asserted that North Korea is prepared for both peaceful coexistence and permanent confrontation, and that the choice lies with the US.
Kim also underscored North Korea’s status as a nuclear-armed state. He said, "The Supreme People's Assembly of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea has written into the constitution our will to further develop nuclear weapons, in order to guarantee the right to survival and development of the country, deter war, and safeguard peace and stability." He proclaimed that this has resolved the task of ensuring, under the supreme law, the eternal existence of the nuclear policy and its implementation struggle of a state that is, in every sense, a nuclear-armed country.
He continued, "Our nuclear forces are now fulfilling the mission of physically deterring a war of aggression and are equipped with the capability to deter war and to carry out immediate retaliation. The power we have built up through offensive struggle, as an exercise of our right to self-defense, neutralizes the enemy’s will to provoke war and guarantees a balance of power in the region."
Kim stressed, "We will strengthen the armed forces of the Republic into the world’s most powerful army, expand our national nuclear forces, and fully exercise our status as a nuclear-armed state. This nuclear-armed status is the fundamental guarantee for deterring the enemy’s potential threats and ensuring national security and interests."

rainman@fnnews.com Kim Kyung-soo Reporter