NK begins discussions on dismantling agencies handling inter

North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui is seen in this undated file photo. Yonhap

North Korea began discussions on dismantling agencies in charge of inter-Korean relations, state media reported Monday, after leader Kim Jong-un said there is no point in seeking reconciliation and unification with South Korea.

North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui led the discussions with related officials, including Ri Son-gwon, head of the North's United Front Department (UFD) in charge of relations with South Korea, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

Choe "held a consultative meeting with officials concerned on Jan. 1 to thoroughly carry out the tasks ... to dismantle and reform the bodies in charge of the affairs related to the South and the struggle against enemy and change the fundamental principle and orientation of the struggle," the KCNA said.

At the end of a key Workers' Party meeting last week, Kim stressed the need to take measures for "readjusting and reforming" the organizations in charge of inter-Korean affairs, including the UFD, and to "fundamentally change the principle and orientation of the struggle."

Kim also defined inter-Korean ties as those of "two states hostile to each other" and called for stepped-up preparations to "suppress the whole territory of South Korea," saying it is a mistake to regard the South as the partner of reconciliation and reunification. (Yonhap)