Pyongyang, North Korea

North Korea has reportedly demolished a major monument which symbolised the goal of reconciliation with South Korea following the orders of their leader Kim Jong Un who called the massive structure that his father constructed in the capital city Pyongyang, an “eyesore,” earlier this month. 

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While the move seems to be in line with the North Korean leader’s rhetoric and volatile temperament, and given the rise of tensions between Pyongyang and Seoul, it is important to know what the monument symbolised and why it’s reported razing is making the headlines. 

About the Arch of Reunification

The Arch of Reunification, officially known as the Monument to the Three-Point Charter for National Reunification, is said to be one of the major monuments in the North Korean capital city and is located on the Pyongyang-Kaesong (reunification highway). 

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WATCH | North Korea says Arch of Reunification disappeared from Pyongyang

However, satellite imagery of Pyongyang, last week, showed that the 30 metre-tall and 61.5- metre wide symbol was no longer there, according to a report by NK News, an online outlet that monitors North Korea.

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The American website in its report also stressed that the images are ‘hazy’ at best and one snapshot was taken Tuesday (Jan 23) by an inter-Korean rail crossing at Kaesong did not clearly show any construction crews. Therefore, a higher-definition picture is needed to be certain that the monument has in fact disappeared. 

The arch was unveiled a year after the 2000 inter-Korea summit between Kim’s father North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, and former South Korean President Kim Dae-jung. The summit resulted in a joint declaration, in which both countries agreed to pursue reunification through peaceful means.

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The 30-metre-tall monument was symbolic of the three charters – self-reliance, peace and national cooperation, according to South Korean government records. The arch symbolised reunification plans through diplomacy put forward by Kim’s father. 

Since Kim Jong Un’s grandfather, Kim Il-Sung took over the premiership of the newly formed Democratic People’s Republic of Korea  (DPRK), North Korea’s official name, in 1948, he had hoped to reunify with South Korea. However, he took a different approach. 

Kim Il-Sung unlike his son tried to reunify Korea by force and launched an invasion of South Korea triggering the Korean War, which ended in a stalemate three years later. 

Rise in tensions between the two Koreas

Earlier this month, in a speech at North Korea’s rubber-stamp parliament, Kim called for the country’s constitution to be changed to ensure that South Korea is defined as “the most hostile state,” reported the state media KCNA. 

According to Kim, the constitution should be amended to educate North Koreans that South Korea is a “primary foe and invariable principal enemy”. 

During the same speech, on January 15, he had also called the massive monument that his father constructed in Pyongyang an “eyesore” and vowed to get rid of it. 

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It was around the same time that North Korea had abolished agencies that oversaw cooperation and reunification, indicating that Kim was no longer interested in seeking reconciliation with South Korea. 

Additionally, three organisations dealing with unification and inter-Korean tourism were also shut down, the state media had reported, earlier this month. On January 15, Kim said Pyongyang would not recognise the two countries’ de facto maritime border, the Northern Limit Line (NLL). 

Last year, in April, the South Korean Unification Ministry said that North Korea had not responded to their regularly held calls, adding that this is the first time since October 2021 that all inter-Korean military lines or liaison calls have stopped for more than a day. 

The communication lines were first opened in 2018 when the two countries set up hotlines after a series of summits aimed at decreasing tensions in the region. However, it was not the first time that North Korea unilaterally shut down the communications links in a display of anger.

The line was restored in July 2021 following North Korea’s shutdown for nearly a year after its anger over South Korean activists sending leaflets critical of Kim’s regime across the border by balloon. 

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The communication was cut off in 2023 also around the time when South Korea was holding drills with the United States, which North Korea has long viewed as an enemy. Pyongyang, which reportedly has nuclear weapons, also tested a record number of missiles last year. 

It also seems like it is going to be more of the same in 2024, as within the first month of the year, North Korea has already tested a number of missiles, including a cruise missile dubbed Pulhwasal-3-3, on January 24 and again on January 28. 

This was after North Korea had fired more than 200 artillery rounds near a disputed maritime border with South Korea prompting Seoul to take “corresponding” action with live fire drills. The exchange prompted the evacuation of nearly 2,000 residents of two remote South Korean islands to bomb shelters. 

An ‘unachieved wish’

Kim Jong Un was 26 years old when he took over North Korea, days after his father’s death, and like his predecessors, he too has ruled the country with an iron fist ever since. However, unlike his father and grandfather, the incumbent leader does not seem to be interested in the idea of reunification. 

Cho Han-bum, a researcher at the Korea Institute for National Unification told AFP, earlier this month, that the North Korean system has long been grounded on the idea of reunification, an unachieved wish of the country’s founding leader and Kim’s grandfather Kim II Sung.

“Now he is denying everything that his predecessors have done,” said Cho.

Therefore, if confirmed, getting rid of his father’s monument would be a big step for Kim, who was known to be his favourite son and hence became his successor.

However, it seems as though since his grandfather’s invasion and his father’s diplomacy did not work, Kim is charting his own course, which involves ramping up military rhetoric and posturing. 

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While reunification has long been on the North Korean agenda, Kim, earlier this month said that he had concluded that unification with the South was no longer possible and accused Seoul of seeking the collapse of his regime and unification by absorption. 

The Korea Institute for National Unification, a think-tank, said Kim has all but removed the ‘concept of unity’ from North Korean policy, reported Metro newspaper. 

Therefore, by reportedly removing the Arch of Reunification ‘the history of inter-Korean relations was completely denied’ and the ‘geopolitical risks’ to South Korea will continue to rise, analysts added.

The US factor

Pyongyang’s hatred towards Washington can be traced back to the Korean War where then-US President Harry Truman’s declaration prompted nearly two dozen countries to send troops and medical units to back South Korea, during the war. 

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Meanwhile, North Korea was supported by both the Soviet Union and China. Therefore, the alliances over the years have not changed all that much. Even today, Pyongyang maintains good relations with Beijing and Moscow. 

Except for Kim’s brief “bromance” with former US President Donald Trump when he was the commander-in-chief, not like the much-awaited meeting between the two leaders produced any tangible results. 

Meanwhile, the US and South Korea have conducted a number of drills amid Kim’s increasing military rhetoric and posturing. Last year, Washington, for the first time since the 1980s also deployed a nuclear-armed ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) to a South Korean port. 

(With inputs from agencies)