북한, 일본 개헌 추진 비난하며 한미일 연합훈련 반발

[홀랜]

This file image, provided by South Korea's Defense Ministry, shows a joint air drill by South Korea, the United States and Japan on Jan. 15, 2025. (Ministry of Defense)

North Korea, in a commentary released by its state media on Friday, criticized a push by Japan's ruling party to amend the country's pacifist constitution, which has remained unchanged since it took effect after World War II.

The North’s Korean Central News Agency also called Japan’s trilateral security cooperation with South Korea and the US a military scheme to carry out a reinvasion of the Korean Peninsula.

“After all, Japan has fully revealed its militaristic nature to change the constitution, the fundamentals of the state, and emerge as the worst war force threatening the region to opt for a straight course for reinvasion,” the KCNA said.

“What should not be overlooked is that Japan, which has buckled down to the US political and military confrontation moves against the DPRK, is trying to orient its first reinvasion towards the Korean peninsula,” it added.

DPRK stands for North Korea’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

Friday’s commentary follows a decision by Japan's Liberal Democratic Party to include constitutional reform on the list of its key goals for 2025 at its party convention on March 9.

North Korea has often lambasted attempts by Japanese politicians to amend the constitution, which was drafted by US-led occupation forces after World War II. The constitution, whose Article 9 renounces war and bans the country from maintaining land, sea and air forces, as well as other war potential, has remained unchanged since it took effect in 1947.

Japan’s center-right LDP, which has been in power for most of the period since 1955, has long advocated for a constitutional revision. The party’s former leader and ex-Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said that the reform should be carried out “in response to the demands of the times.”

The North pointed to Japan’s joint military drills with South Korea and the US as signs of Tokyo moving to engage in “war again.”

“In January last, Japan desperately took part in a three-party joint air drill with the US and the puppet ROK in the sky near the Korean peninsula. In March, it is trying to stage a joint naval drill in waters off the Korean peninsula with them again.”

“Japan is dashing for a war again after sweeping its past crimes under the carpet with the passage of time. This is little short of repeating the history of its defeat by itself.”

mkjung@heraldcorp.com