North Korea has long been at the center of South Korean politics, with past presidential elections shaped by debates about leader-level summits, international sanctions, preemptive strike capabilities and inter-Korean cooperation.

But in the lead-up to this year’s snap election, the DPRK has arguably never been further from the domestic political zeitgeist.

While major candidates have deployed North Korea as a rhetorical cudgel, likening one another to dictators like Kim Jong Un, neither has placed policy toward Pyongyang a core part of their campaign. This marks a sharp contrast with 2017, when Moon Jae-in campaigned on engagement, or 2022, when Yoon