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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.
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 South Korea’s defense white papers reflect the rocky ties between the two Koreas. Past South Korean documents called North Korea its “main enemy,” “present enemy” or “enemy” in times of animosities with the North. 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 read.
