Why North Korea Isn’t Weighing In on the South’s Turmoil?
They thrive on mocking and humiliating each other, with their rivalry defining their existence. North Korea and South Korea—one people divided by contrasting ideologies and governments have long competed to showcase which system best serves its people. The two Koreas—South and North—function like estranged brothers, each leveraging hatred for the other to bolster faith in their respective administrations. Without the enmity and stark administrative differences, they are fundamentally the same people—potentially capable of uniting. To prevent this, politicians on both sides benefit from perpetuating hostility.
Yet, when South Korea plunges into political turmoil, dividing both politicians and citizens, North Korea remains unusually silent and calm—a stark contrast to the typical animosity between the two countries. President Yoon, the central figure in South Korea’s political drama, harbors deep animosity toward the North, skillfully leveraging this hatred to his advantage. He even links opposition forces to North Korea to justify his controversial martial law declaration, a move that has further inflamed an already charged political climate and put him under threat—a perfect situation for North Korea to act.
Strangely, despite numerous opportunities to exploit South Korea’s vulnerability or launch a powerful propaganda attack, North Korea has chosen restraint. It remains inactive, refraining from using the chaos to fuel domestic narratives. Why has this traditionally aggressive neighbor, so known for its hostility, suddenly embraced such uncharacteristic restraint and maturity?
North Korean state media typically exploit any signs of public dissent in the South, using them to depict South Korea’s democratic system and its leaders as corrupt and inept. Yet, for over a week, North Korea chose not to capitalize on the opportunity, refraining from mocking its ideological adversary and missing a chance to showcase the supposed superiority of its socialist communist model.
North Korea has used the situation to argue that the South unfairly blames it for all its domestic troubles, sowing doubt even within South Korea itself. President Yoon’s martial law declaration, for instance, claimed that “anti-state” and “North Korean communist forces” had infiltrated his domestic political opposition—a claim that holds little substantive merit. There has also been a gradual reduction in the coverage the North provides its people about the South in state media, because they no longer want to emphasize the South. Instead, they aim to position it as “Just another” country.
Some analysts suggest that Pyongyang refrained from broadcasting images of mass protests in South Korea to avoid inspiring similar uprisings among its own citizens. Others believe the North fears that turmoil in the South might compel its government, under pressure, to divert public attention by provoking a security incident with Pyongyang. Another theory points to Pyongyang’s decision in late 2023 to amend its constitution, officially designating South Korea as a “Belligerent state” and reframing their relationship as one between “Two hostile states”. This shift marks a departure from the North’s previous rhetoric of the two Koreas as a single, homogenous people destined for reunification.
Some believe North Korea withheld reports on South Korea’s unrest, fearing it might inspire its own citizens to resist their leadership. However, for others, Pyongyang’s approach seems more strategic, as it aims to navigate this period of South Korean vulnerability with its long-term objectives in mind.
The North did not stay silent. On Wednesday, KCNA covered the events in South Korea with its trademark inflammatory tone, describing the declaration of martial law by President Yoon Suk Yeol as a shocking move. The report condemned his actions as those of a fascist regime, claiming that the South Korean military was a “Gangster organization” and describing Yoon’s declaration as “A disaster.” It also claimed that the South Korean public was demanding his immediate impeachment and punishment. The report included about 20 photos, but none showed South Korean civilians resisting the military outside the parliament. The tone of the coverage suggests that the North sees the South’s political struggles as an opportunity to further distance itself, reinforcing its identity as fundamentally separate. It seems intent on severing ties with its “Brother” to pursue its own path.
