The scene of North Korea destroying the road on the northern side of the Gyeongui Line around noon on the 15th

/ Joint Chiefs of Staff

The destroyed Gyeongui and Donghae roads originated from the 1992 Inter-Korean Basic Agreement under Kim Il-sung, aimed at reconnecting severed infrastructure. The initiative gained momentum after the 2000 inter-Korean summit during Kim Jong-il's rule, with both Koreas holding simultaneous groundbreaking ceremonies in September 2002. At the time, North Korean media expressed optimism, advocating for swift reconnection to achieve national prosperity and unity.

At the end of last year, Kim Jong-un redefined inter-Korean relations as ‘two hostile states.’ He then ordered the complete severance of the northern section of the Gyeongui line. By August, North Korea had blocked the Gyeongui and Donghae railroads, fully cutting off land routes between the Koreas. These actions abandon the reunification legacy of Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il, who once equated reunification with patriotism and division with betrayal.

North Korea also announced plans to fortify the severed roads with concrete barriers, effectively creating a de facto border. These actions not only erase the hopes of North Koreans who saw reunification as essential but also undermine the collective desire for unity shared across the Korean Peninsula.

North Korea demolished roads built with 180 billion won (about $132.3 million USD) of South Korean taxpayer money, violating property rights and undermining inter-Korean trust—a serious legal offense. In 2020, North Korea similarly destroyed the Kaesong Inter-Korean Joint Liaison Office, another taxpayer-funded project, claiming it was due to anti-North leaflets.

In response, the South Korean government filed its first lawsuit against North Korea in June last year, seeking 44.7 billion won (about $32.8 million USD) in damages. There are renewed calls for compensation, emphasizing that North Korea’s unauthorized destruction of South Korean assets is illegal and infringes on the property rights of the state and its citizens.

North Korea’s shift to redefine inter-Korean relations as ‘hostile two-state relations’ began after the 2019 Hanoi summit collapse. With no plans for denuclearization, Kim Jong-un saw no economic gain in improving ties. To curb South Korean cultural influence, he enacted the 2020 ‘Reactionary Ideology and Culture Rejection Law.’ In late 2023, he reinforced this stance by ordering the Supreme People’s Assembly to remove terms like ‘independence, peaceful reunification, and national unity’ from the constitution, labeling South Korea as the ‘primary enemy.’

In line with Kim’s directives, North Korea swiftly removed reunification symbols. The Monument to the Three-Point Charter for National Reunification, once a symbol of unity, was taken down, shocking citizens. The phrase ‘Land of the Morning Calm’ was removed from the national anthem, and references to reunification and nationhood are being erased from monuments with the writings of Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il across the country.

Since March, North Korea dismantled streetlights along the Gyeongui and Donghae roads in the DMZ. In May, sections of the Donghae railway near Mount Kumgang were removed, and in late June, rails from the northern Gyeongui road near Kaesong were dismantled. In August, the Gyeongui train depot was also taken down. Additionally, North Korea escalated ‘trash balloon’ attacks to stir internal tensions in South Korea.

Additionally, North Korea is fostering a warlike atmosphere among its population, instilling hostility to justify the Two-State policy.

Kim Jong-un's tactics are becoming increasingly evident, not only to South Korea and the international community but also to North Koreans. This likely explains why the regime has kept the balloon attacks and road demolitions secret from its citizens. Kim’s abandonment of reunification—a core pillar of the Kim dynasty’s legitimacy—reveals a fear rooted in a sense of vulnerability and defeat in the face of South Korea’s system.

In response to fading hopes for reunification due to Kim’s anti-reunification stance, President Yoon Suk-yeol introduced the August 15th Reunification Doctrine.

The doctrine envisions reunification based on principles of ‘Freedom, Peace, and Prosperity,’ opposing Kim Jong-un’s Two-State policy and reaffirming South Korea’s commitment to reunification both domestically and globally.

The doctrine outlines specific steps South Korea can take without North Korean involvement, highlighting its readiness to lead reunification efforts and positioning itself as the primary driver for Korean unity.