North Korea Declares South Korea 'Main Enemy' at 9th Party Congress, Realigns Foreign Strategy

At the 9th Party Congress, which concluded on the 25th, North Korea presented its foreign strategy to 'subdue and force submission' upon the United States and designated South Korea as the 'No. 1 adversarial nation,' demonstrating its intent to redefine its national security and foreign policy direction.

North Korea, through the 'International Situation and Relations with the U.S. section' of the 'Report on the Work of the 8th Central Committee of the Party' presented at the congress, defined the United States as the 'arch-criminal that pursues unilateral hegemony based on the logic that might makes right, ruthlessly destroys the existing international order and established customs, and causes instability and chaos.' Based on this, North Korea clarified its strategy to subdue and force submission upon the U.S., which involves continuing confrontation and maintaining vigilance against the U.S., while simultaneously striking U.S. imperialist hegemony to build a multipolar order.

The 9th Party Congress was the de facto first congress since North Korea emerged as a 'strategic state,' and it was previously announced that it would be analyzed in depth over three parts.