SEOUL: North Korea's recent removal of unification references could create an ideological vacuum or confusion among the elite ranks, leading the regime to carry out a military provocation to bring stability, Seoul's point man on Pyongyang said on Sunday.
Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho made the remark during an appearance on public broadcaster KBS, referring to North Korea's recent dismantlement of a monument honouring the unification efforts of late leader Kim Il-sung, which came after current leader Kim Jong-un called South Korea a "primary foe" and vowed not to seek inter-Korean unification, Yonhap news agency reported.
"There's a high possibility that erasing the achievements of Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il, who are the basis for hereditary power, will create an ideological vacuum or confusion among North Korea's elite, " he said, referring to the current leader's grandfather and father, respectively.
"If there is internal conflict, there's a high possibility it will carry out a military provocation to overcome the crisis, " he said.
"Our government considers the situation very serious, and we have prepared thorough measures in response, including military deterrence measures."
The Minister also said the removal of images of the Korean Peninsula from North Korean broadcasts is aimed at "blocking the North Korean people's longing for South Korean society".
"It clearly shows that North Korea has lost to South Korea in the regime competition, " he added.