North Korea tears down monument symbolizing union with the South - report


  • World
  • Tuesday, 23 Jan 2024

FILE PHOTO: People take part in the celebrations for the National Liberation Day near the Arch of Reunification in the city of Pyongyang, North Korea August 14, 2005/File Photo

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea has demolished a major monument in its capital that symbolized 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 symbolizing 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.

Reuters could not independently confirm that the monument, known informally as the Arch of Reunification, had been demolished.

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 U.S. 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 meters 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 U.S. forces. Late last year, the North declared as no longer valid a key agreement signed with the South in 2018 aimed at de-escalating military tensions.

Following Kim's speech last week, the North's assembly abolished key government agencies that have been instrumental to decades of exchanges with Seoul.

(Reporting by Jack Kim; Editing by Bernadette Baum)

Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel for breaking news alerts and key updates!
   

Next In World

South Korea's Yoon says efforts to improve people's lives had fallen short
Former Fiji PM Bainimarama sentenced to year in jail
Phone bans are gaining ground in schools worldwide
UK refuses to sign global vaccine treaty, The Telegraph reports
Britain and NATO allies must spend more, be tougher, UK's Cameron to say
Roundup: U.S. crude supplies up, other petroleum data mixed
Rains return to flooded southern Brazil, interrupting rescues
U.S. stocks end mixed, Dow extending winning streak
U.S. oil imports, exports up last week
U.S. crude oil production unchanged last week

Others Also Read