North Korea removes 'unification' from name of building in truce village: Report

By Anadolu staff

ANKARA (AA) - North Korea has removed "unification" from the name of a building on its side of the truce village of Panmunjom, South Korea's Unification Ministry said Monday.

The move is the latest sign of Pyongyang's ongoing campaign to redefine its relations with South Korea as "hostile," according to Yonhap News Agency.

In August last year, North Korea replaced the signboard on a building on its side of Panmunjom, renaming it "Panmun Hall" after removing the previous signboard saying "Unification Pavilion," said Unification Ministry spokesperson Koo Byoung-sam.

Panmunjom is a village just north of the de facto border between North Korea and South Korea where the 1953 Korean Armistice Agreement that ended the Korean War was signed.

In 2023, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un issued an order designating South Korea as its primary foe.

The North Korean building was previously used for inter-Korean talks.

In May 2018, then South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim held their second summit meeting there.

The latest move comes days after South Korea unveiled plans to resume tours of Panmunjom, which sits in the middle of the Demilitarized Zone.

*Writing by Aamir Latif