SEOUL: North Korea has demolished a major monument in its capital that symbolised the goal of reconciliation with South Korea on the orders of leader Kim Jong Un, who last week called the rival a “primary foe” and said unification was no longer possible.

Satellite imagery of Pyongyang on Tuesday showed that the monument, an arch symbolising hopes for Korean reunification which was completed after a landmark inter-Korea summit in 2000, was no longer there, according to a report by NK News, an online outlet that monitors North Korea.Kim called the monument an “eyesore” in a speech at the Supreme People’s Assembly on Jan 15, where he ordered that the constitution be amended to say the South was a “primary foe and invariable principal enemy,” official media said.

Tensions have spiked on the Korean peninsula following intensifying military manoeuvres by the South Korean and US militaries in response to weapons testing by the North, which said it was readying for a “nuclear war” with its enemies.

The arch, formally known as the Monument to the Three Charters for National Reunification, stood 30 metres tall and was symbolic of the three charters, which were self-reliance, peace and national cooperation, according to South Korean government records.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol who took office in 2022 has taken a hard line against the North, calling for immediate and tough responses to North Korea’s military actions that have raised tensions on the Korean peninsula.

North Korea has vowed to “wipe out” the South if attacked by the South and US forces.

Published in Dawn, January 24th, 2024