North Korea dismantled the foreign ministry’s Fatherland Reunification Bureau in early 2022, marking a quiet but significant shift toward its emerging two states strategy. Multiple internal sources confirmed the bureau’s termination long before Kim Jong Un publicly declared South Korea a hostile state.
The Fatherland Reunification Bureau once directed major propaganda efforts targeting South Korea. However, its role weakened steadily after the 2018 summits, and officials eventually dispersed its functions to the United Front Department and another unit managed by Kim Yo Jong. The United Front Department, now called Bureau 10, oversees inter-Korean operations and political influence campaigns.
Sources emphasized that the bureau’s removal shows the two states strategy had developed long before its official announcement. The leadership no longer expects genuine reunification and now considers the two Koreas separate nations. Officials believe this shift stabilizes North Korea’s political structure while modernizing its diplomatic framework.
Analysts said the new approach reflects Kim Jong Un’s efforts to present North Korea as a normal country. The two states strategy supports three central goals: strengthening national identity, reinforcing regime security and expanding diplomatic flexibility. These goals align with the regime’s broader plan to reshape external perceptions of its sovereignty.
Another source explained that Pyongyang views reunification as a potential channel for outside interference. Therefore, the new doctrine seeks to protect the regime by reinterpreting inter-Korean relations under international norms. This adjustment also helps North Korea justify stricter internal control and ideological discipline.
North Korea is watching South Korea’s response closely. If Seoul rejects the two states strategy, Pyongyang may revive a rivalry over regime legitimacy. Officials could then use this confrontation to increase internal unity by portraying the South as a political threat.
Meanwhile, the Propaganda and Agitation Department continues strengthening ideological education. It recently distributed materials titled “Our Republic is One, Complete National System,” emphasizing the country’s self-contained sovereignty. This education effort further embeds the two states strategy inside state institutions and public messaging.
