ROK defense ministry mulls alternative to `primary enemy`

The Ministry of Defense (MOD) is examining a plan to use a different expression than ``primary enemy`` in an official description of South Korea`s relationship with North Korea. The move came amid a dispute between Seoul and Pyongyang over the use of the term. The government already collected information on the use of such terms in other countries, according to sources Sunday.

Any change in the use of the ``primary enemy`` description would run counter to the ministry`s standing policy to do so only after South and North Korea build a relationship based on trust in the military sector.

According to recently drafted ministry documents, defense officials are of the position that they could consider replacing the description of North Korea as the nation`s ``primary enemy`` in its defense White Paper with the terms ``enemy``’ or ``communist.``

The ministry is reportedly studying plans to insert a new concept of ``primary enemy`` that encompasses North Korea, enemy and communist, in Article 4 of the constitution, which states in part that ``on the basis of the liberal democratic basic order, (Seoul) will establish and promote a peaceful unification policy.``

The ministry previously enquired whether eight countries, among them Japan, China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Israel and Germany, had official definitions similar to South Korea`s ``primary enemy`` concept. The survey showed that Taiwan indirectly uses such a term and that others had already scrapped such definitions.

A ministry official said, ``North Korea does not use the expression primary enemy (with regard to the South) in its documents or educational materials, but its people clearly understand who represents their primary enemy.`` ``If a change is made in the military`s concept of primary enemy, it should be done on the basis of national consensus,`` he added.

Yonhap