Seoul defense paper's 'enemy' label for North Korea sparks inter-ministry dispute

South Korea's Ministry of National Defense has announced its intention to reinstate the phrase "North Korea's regime and military are our enemies" in the upcoming 2026 Defense White Paper. This move has sparked a dispute with the Ministry of Unification, which opposes defining North Koreans as enemies, citing the nation's constitutional and legal recognition of them as citizens. The defense ministry's decision reverses a trend seen in recent defense white papers, which have used the more nuanced phrasing "North Korea's regime and military are our enemies."

Historically, conservative governments in South Korea have faced pressure to reintroduce the "primary enemy" designation for North Korea, particularly after incidents like the 2010 Cheonan sinking and Yeonpyeong shelling. However, even during conservative administrations, official defense documents consistently referred to "North Korea's regime and military" as the enemy, rather than North Korea as a whole. This distinction was made to avoid classifying the entire North Korean population, including defectors, as adversaries, aligning with the government's position that North Koreans are citizens.

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The military has been defining North Korea as the primary enemy for a long time in its troop education, so not including it in the Defense White Paper does not affect the military's readiness posture.

The rationale behind limiting the enemy designation to the regime and military stems from strategic considerations, including the need for stabilization operations post-conflict. Drawing lessons from the U.S. experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan, where stabilization efforts faltered after military victories, South Korean military authorities recognized the importance of differentiating between the "bad" North Korean regime and military and the "good" North Korean populace. Despite these nuances, a vocal segment of the public continues to engage in a protracted debate over the "primary enemy" label, a debate that has also seen North Korea adopt similar hostile rhetoric towards South Korea.

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There is no point in not resembling each other, even if we fight.