South Korea defense report revives ‘enemy’ label for North

South Korea called North Korea “our enemy” in its biennial defense document published Thursday, reviving the label for its rival for the first time in six years, as tensions worsen between the two countries. North Korea conducted an unprecedented number of missile tests in 2022, including simulated nuclear attacks on South Korea. In response, South Korea’s conservative government led by President Yoon Suk Yeol has been seeking a stronger U.S. security commitment and boosting its own military capabilities. Descriptions of North Korea in past South Korean defense white papers reflect the changing rocky ties between the two Koreas. Past South Korean documents called North Korea the “main enemy,” “present enemy” or “enemy” in times of animosity. But they avoided such references when relations were improved. North Korea “doesn’t give up its nukes and is persistently posing military threats to us, so the North Korean government and military … is our enemy,” the 2022 South Korean defense white paper issued Thursday said. The document noted that in December, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called South Korea “our undoubted enemy” in a speech at a key ruling party meeting. It also cited the passage of a new North Korean law authorizing pre-emptive use of nuclear weapons in a broad range of scenarios. The document said the North Korean nuclear program and provocations “are seriously threatening our security.” It said the main objectives of South Korean defense policies include bracing for threats and a potential invasion by North Korea, deterring a war on the Korean Peninsula and contributing to a peaceful future Korean reunification.