North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has declared the South his country’s “principal enemy”, jettisoned agencies dedicated to reunification and outreach, and threatened war over “even 0.001 mm” of territorial infringement.

But is the fiery rhetoric a sign of a real shift? AFP takes a look at what we know:

After years of worsening ties, Pyongyang made it official this week: declaring Seoul its main enemy, abolishing agencies dedicated to reunification and threatening to occupy the South during war.

It’s a big shift, as “in the past when there was risk of an armed conflict, there was a back channel to keep it in control, but now there is none of that,” said Hong Min, a senior analyst at the Korea Institute for National Unification in Seoul.

North Korea has gotten rid “of any inter-Korean mechanisms to prevent conflicts from spiralling out of control,” he added.

“The North’s labeling of the South as its ‘principal enemy’ isn’t just rhetorical — the words could carry into action.”

Kim said he had no intention of starting a war — but also none of avoiding one.

He’s declared he will no longer recognise the de facto maritime border between the two Koreas, known as the Northern Limit Line, and his military recently staged days of live-fire artillery drills in the area.

This has created “a growing possibility of the two sides getting into a military skirmish, which could lead to a wider conflict,” Hong said.

In addition, Pyongyang has been drawing closer to Moscow, including — Washington and Seoul claim — sending missiles for Russia’s war in Ukraine in exchange for help with their satellite program.