Kim says Inter-Korean unification dream now further away

Inter-Korean relations are on the brink of catastrophe with prospects for unification now dimmer than they were before the historic 2018 summit, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has told the 8th ruling party congress.

On Friday, Kim continued delivering his report as the 8th Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea entered the fourth day.

According to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), the report has pointed out that inter-Korean relations have reached a crossroads. The two countries should rectify the current state of affairs and move toward peace and unification, otherwise the confrontation will intensify and relations will freeze, and the sides will experience the "pain of division" in an atmosphere of a "threat of war," the agency reported.

"It is no exaggeration to say that North-South relations have now returned to the pre-[2018] Panmunjom Declaration state, the dream of unification is now even further away," Kim said in the report.

According to Pyongyang, Seoul continues its hostile activities and rhetoric toward the North, which makes the future of inter-Korean relations "hazy." The problem at the same time cannot be solved at the level of ordinary people, and it "will not disappear by itself" over time.

"If [South Korea] really wants peace and unification and is concerned about the future and the fate of the nation and future generations, it should not just look on this serious situation and should take active measures to resolve and improve existing inter-Korean relations, which are on the verge of disaster," the report added.

North Korea expects the South to demonstrate "sincerity" in relations, which includes the cessation of joint drills with the United States and hostile actions as well as the implementation of all inter-Korean agreements, according to the report. (/Sputnik)

( With inputs from ANI )