Analysis: North Korea’s rejection of the South is both a shock, and inevitable

By KIM TONG-HYUNG and JIWON SONG
Associated Press

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — In abandoning his country’s decades-old aspirational goal of reconciliation with South Korea, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un could be revealing significant changes to the way he sees the world, as he navigates growing tensions with neighbors and exploits broader geopolitical shifts to gain leverage. Some analysts say that Kim, who during Monday’s Supreme People’s Assembly meeting described the South Koreans as “top-class stooges” of America and rejected the idea of national homogeneity between the Koreas, is likely attempting to diminish South Korea’s voice in reginal security matters and eventually force Washington into direct dealings with Pyongyang over the nuclear standoff.