After North declares ‘hostile’ relations, Yoon vows to ‘punish’ regime in case of a provocation

North Korea

Published: 16 Jan. 2024, 11:09 Updated: 18 Jan. 2024, 15:43

After North declares ‘hostile’ relations, Yoon vows to ‘punish’ regime in case of a provocation

President Yoon Suk Yeol, left, speaks at a Cabinet meeting at the Yongsan presidential office in central Seoul on Tuesday. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

President Yoon Suk Yeol vowed to "punish" North Korea many times over should it make a provocation during a Cabinet meeting in Seoul on Tuesday, after the regime's leader redefined inter-Korean relations as a "hostile" one.

"Should North Korea make a provocation, we will punish it many times over," Yoon said at the Yongsan presidential office. "The fake peace tactic of threatening 'war or peace' no longer works."

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un called to revise Pyongyang's constitution to define South Korea as the "No. 1 hostile country" and "principal enemy" during the 10th session of the 14th Supreme People's Assembly on Monday, according to its state media earlier Tuesday.

Kim also called to codify the North's commitment to "completely occupying" the South Korean territory in the event of war and abolished agencies meant to promote inter-Korean cooperation.

"North Korean authorities defined inter-Korean relations as a relationship between two hostile countries, not one of kinship," Yoon said. "This is an admission that the North Korean regime itself is an anti-national and anti-historical one."

This marks Yoon's first public response after Kim redefined inter-Korean relations as those of "two hostile countries in a state of war" in a plenary meeting of the Central Committee of the North's ruling Workers' Party on Dec. 30.

Yoon said that the "current government of the Republic of Korea is different from any government in the past," as its military has "overwhelming response capabilities."

He also noted North Korea's earlier announcement that it will no longer recognize the Northern Limit Line (NLL), the de facto inter-Korean maritime boundary.

It comes after North Korea fired artillery shells off its west coast near the NLL at the beginning of the year and launched an intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) into the East Sea on Sunday.

Yoon described this as "an act of political provocation aimed at making our people anxious and dividing South Korea."

At the same time, Yoon called to "warmly embrace" North Korean defectors, noting that it is the "North Korean regime that threatens South Korea, not the North Korean people."

Yoon stressed that the South Korean government "will spare no effort in providing attention and support to North Korean defectors so that they can settle down in our society smoothly."

He instructed the Ministry of Unification to establish a "North Korean Defectors' Day."

Yoon noted that North Korean defectors are also citizens under the South Korean Constitution, adding that "North Korean people are one people with us, with the same rights to enjoy freedom, human rights and prosperity."

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un speaks at the 10th session of the 14th Supreme People's Assembly in Pyongyang Monday in a photo carried by its official Korean Central News Agency Tuesday. [YONHAP]

During the Cabinet meeting, Yoon also urged the National Assembly to pass a bill to delay the enforcement of an industrial safety law for small companies with fewer than 50 employees.

The Serious Accidents Punishment Act, which went into force in January 2022 for companies with 50 or more employees, punishes business owners or CEOs for serious workplace accidents caused by lax safety measures with a prison term of at least one year or up to 1 billion won ($751,000) in fines.

The measures are set to be extended to smaller companies on Jan. 27, and the government has been seeking an additional grace period.

Yoon said more time needs to be given considering the "realistic conditions of small- and medium-sized companies," as businesses are already having a tough time due to high interest rates and inflation.

"If this burden is placed on small businesses, which makes it more difficult for them to survive, the damage will fall squarely on our workers and the common people," he added.

BY SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]