North Korea confirmed it has amended its constitution to officially designate South Korea as a "hostile" state, citing security threats and escalating tensions between the two countries, according to state-run media, Azernews reports.

“This is an inevitable and legitimate measure taken in keeping with the requirement of the DPRK (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) Constitution, which clearly defines the ROK (Republic of Korea) as a hostile state, due to the serious security circumstances running to the unpredictable brink of war owing to the grave political and military provocations of the hostile forces,” the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.

The announcement marks the first time North Korea has explicitly named South Korea as a “hostile state” since the Supreme People’s Assembly (SPA), North Korea’s legislative body, met last week and amended the constitution. Although KCNA reported the constitutional changes following the SPA meeting, it withheld specific details until Thursday.