North Korean leader Kim Jong-un delivers a speech at the 9th session of the 14th Supreme People's Assembly held at the Mansudae Assembly Hall in Pyongyang on Sept. 26, as reported by North Korea's Central TV Sept. 28. Yonhap

North Korea has recently appeared to abandon the use of the term South Korea. Instead, the reclusive regime uses the term “puppet” to describe the South.

Experts said Sunday that Pyongyang’s sharp expression denouncing the South reflects the current state of inter-Korean relations, which have remained tense, with the North stepping up efforts to advance its missile and nuclear weapons programs.

The term South Korea was last used on Sept. 13 on the North’s state publication Rodong Sinmun.

On the North’s Korean Central Television and radio service Korean Central Broadcasting Station, the term was last used on July 15.

Then, the radio service used the term “puppet” instead of South Korea on Aug. 19 when reporting the spread of COVID-19 around the world.

This trend persisted on Sept. 30 when Korean Central Television referred to South Korea as the “puppet team” while reporting the results of a women’s football quarterfinal match between the two Koreas at the Asian Games, signaling the widespread adoption of “puppet” as the standard term when referring to South Korea in various contexts.

The state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) has also ceased using the term South Korea since reporting on the interim investigation results related to U.S. soldier Travis King, who was detained in the North after running across the inter-Korean border in July.

The initial report on Aug. 16 identified King as an "American soldier stationed in South Korea," but the final investigation results released on Sept. 27 referred to him simply as an "American soldier."

Yang Moo-jin, the president of the University of North Korean Studies, who has been monitoring the language employed in North Korean rhetoric, said the situation appears to signify a nadir in inter-Korean relations.

“The selection of derogatory terms could be construed as North Korea’s endeavor to gain an edge in the ongoing competition between the two Korean regimes,” he said. “Alternatively, it might also be seen as a form of derision and critique directed at our side within the context of this regime competition. Fundamentally, this mirrors the current state of inter-Korean relations, marked by confrontation and rivalry.”

The term “puppet” is metaphorically used when censuring individuals or governments perceived as lacking independence and resilience. North Korean dictionaries define the term as “a political group of traitors to the nation who serve as puppets for foreign invaders, including imperialists and betray their homeland and people.”

Some experts posit that this heightened rhetoric from Pyongyang is in response to increased deterrence measures against North Korean nuclear weapons.

"When North Korea reacts to this extent, there is a possibility that South Korea, led by the U.S. and Japan, is working to strengthen its deterrence against North Korean nuclear weapons,” said Park Won-gon, a professor of North Korean Studies at Ewha Woman's University.

“From North Korea's perspective, they may be feeling pressured by South Korea's emphasis on achieving peace through strength. So, there is also a possibility that this stern reaction is stemming from that perspective.”

South Korean government officials said North Korea's utilization of the term "puppet" in their coverage of the women's football match reflects a lack of confidence on North Korea's part.

"North Korea had typically used the term South Korea as the standard reference in sports events, but employing highly derogatory language and displaying excessive reactions, even in sporting events, suggests that North Korean authorities have displayed their lack of confidence," a unification ministry official said on condition of anonymity.

"While North Korea has previously referred to our national team as the puppet team in international sports competitions, we have not observed them using the term puppet in broadcast coverage and articles until now."

（作者：汽车音响）