Yoon's ousting met with eerily minimal response from North Korean media

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Yoon's ousting met with eerily minimal response from North Korean media

Published: 07 Apr. 2025, 13:56 Updated: 07 Apr. 2025, 18:31

SEO JI-EUN
[email protected]

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

President Yoon Suk Yeol attends the opening session of the Ministerial Conference of the Third Summit for Democracy in March last year. The Constitutional Court upheld the National Assembly’s impeachment of Yoon, ousting him from office on April 4. [YONHAP]

[NEWS ANALYSIS]

North Korea is showing restraint in its response to the impeachment of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, in contrast to its swift and vocal reaction to the ousting of former President Park Geun-hye in 2017.

Although South Korea’s Constitutional Court delivered its ruling to uphold Yoon's impeachment on Friday morning, North Korean state media delayed reporting the decision until the following day.

Even then, the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) limited itself to a brief factual statement about the ruling, reporting simply that all eight judges of the court voted to remove Yoon from office.

The report cited foreign media outlets such as The Associated Press, Reuters and The Guardian, but offered no additional commentary or criticism.

The same report featured in Rodong Sinmun, North Korea’s official newspaper for domestic audiences.

Such a cautious tone contrasts with North Korea's response to the impeachment of former president Park on March 10, 2017.

In this case, the KCNA published its report just 2 hours and 20 minutes after the Constitutional Court’s decision.

President Yoon Suk Yeol, right, shakes hands with former President Park Geun-hye, in Daegu on April 12, 2022. [YONHAP]

North Korea's National Reconciliation Council issued a statement the following day, calling Park’s ousting “a historic victory for the justice of the people," and praising the toppling of a “pro-U.S. conservative regime."

The Rodong Sinmun published another commentary on March 13 targeting four of Park’s former top diplomats and defense officials, labeling them “traitors who should be buried alive.” The commentary accused the South Korean government of clinging to anti-North policies despite widespread public condemnation.

South Korean officials and experts say the North's muted response to Yoon’s impeachment reflects a shift in Pyongyang’s view on inter-Korean relations as "two hostile states."

"Under the framework of this hostile-state policy, the North appears to be taking a somewhat distanced and observant stance," said Koo Byoung-sam, spokesperson for South Korea’s Ministry of Unification, during a press briefing on Monday.

The Yoon administration took a hawkish stance against the North and was often the subject of criticism from Pyongyang.

North Korea officially changed its constitution to designate it the "principal enemy" and no longer a partner in reunification during Yoon's presidency. Since then, its coverage of South Korean political affairs, especially sensitive developments like the martial law attempt and presidential impeachment, has been limited to recycled foreign reports, without much added commentary.

Some experts say the North may also be trying to avoid sparking domestic curiosity or unrest.

“The North likely feels a burden in revealing too much about the internal developments in South Korea to its own people,” said Lim Eul-chul, a professor at Kyungnam University’s Institute for Far Eastern Studies. “Internally, the leadership may be analyzing the impact of Yoon’s removal in various aspects and formulating its next steps.”

According to experts, the regime is likely to leverage the South’s political instability as an opportunity to reinforce internal unity and military strength.

“North Korea will likely use this moment to further consolidate loyalty toward the regime and stress the superiority of its system over the South’s instability,” said Lim.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un personally test-fires a newly developed sniper rifle during a visit to the country's special forces on April 4, the day when South Korea’s Constitutional Court delivered its ruling to uphold Yoon's impeachment. [YONHAP]

On the day of the impeachment ruling, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited a military training base.

The KCNA reported that he personally test-fired a newly developed sniper rifle, encouraged soldiers in training and emphasized the enhancement of special operations capabilities. However, there was no mention of the situation in South Korea.

North Korea is expected to maintain its current stance of indifference until a new administration takes office in Seoul in June.

“At this stage, Pyongyang is likely to prioritize internal stability and U.S.-related diplomacy over inter-Korean relations,” said Yang Moo-jin, president of the University of North Korean Studies.

This year marks the final phase of North Korea’s five-year economic and military development plan, which began in 2021.

Pyongyang is preparing to send a delegation to Russia for the 80th Victory Day anniversary in May and to receive large foreign delegations for the 80th anniversary of the founding of its Workers’ Party in October.

Yang added that North Korea will closely watch global developments — including ceasefire talks in the Russia-Ukraine war and U.S. President Donald Trump's policies — and adapt its foreign policy accordingly.

BY SEO JI-EUN [[email protected]]