[Yang Nak-gyu's Defense Club] Unprecedented NSC Attendance by JCS Chairman... Why?

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu Reporter] On the morning of the 14th, the Blue House held an emergency video conference of the National Security Council (NSC) chaired by Chung Eui-yong, Director of the National Security Office. Park Han-ki, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, unusually attended the meeting, and it appears that countermeasures against North Korea's military provocations were also discussed.

Kang Min-seok, spokesperson for the Blue House, stated, "In the meeting held early this morning, the members reviewed the current situation on the Korean Peninsula and future measures."

In particular, since Kim Yo-jong, First Deputy Director of the North Korean Workers' Party, raised the level of criticism against South Korea by saying in a statement the day before, "It seems the time has come to decisively sever ties with the South Korean elements," it is believed that the members focused on discussing related countermeasures. The meeting was attended by Kang Kyung-wha, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Kim Yeon-chul, Minister of Unification, Jeong Kyeong-doo, Minister of National Defense, Suh Hoon, Director of the National Intelligence Service, Kim Yu-geun, First Deputy Director of the National Security Office, Kim Hyun-jong, Second Deputy Director of the National Security Office, and Park Han-ki, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

On the same day, North Korea publicly released to its residents the statement by Kim Yo-jong, First Deputy Director of the Workers' Party, who declared the day before that it was time for a "definite break" with the South, reiterating its will for "continuous and thorough retaliation." North Korea published the full text of Kim's statement issued the previous night on page 2 of the Rodong Sinmun, which is read by all residents, continuing to rally public opinion for confrontation against the South.

In the statement released the previous night, Kim Yo-jong said, "You will witness the miserable scene of the inter-Korean joint liaison office collapsing without a trace," and "The authority to carry out the next hostile action will be handed over to our military's General Staff." Additionally, the Rodong Sinmun published an editorial titled "The People's Punishment Cannot Be Stopped" to justify the anger of North Korean residents toward the South and once again emphasized the will for "continuous and thorough retaliation."

If North Korea provokes, low-intensity provocations in the border area are possible. Since the beginning of this month, during the crab fishing season, activities of North Korean fishing boats and North Korean patrol boats near the Northern Limit Line (NLL) in the West Sea have reportedly increased significantly. As the number of North Korean fishing boats has increased, the activities of North Korean patrol boats have also become more active, so the possibility of clashes between South and North Korean naval vessels remains high. Both the First Battle of Yeonpyeong in 1999 and the Second Battle of Yeonpyeong in 2002 occurred in June. North Korea has recently been continuously reinforcing its forces near the NLL.

Kim Dong-yeop, a professor at the Far East Institute of Gyeongnam National University, said, "The statement by the spokesperson of the United Front Department of the North Korean Workers' Party, which oversees inter-Korean policy, on the 5th, mentioning that 'even if the South causes headaches in the border area, we will have no excuse,' seems to be a warning of military provocations," adding, "Military provocations near the NLL, where no agreement has been reached between the South and North, are expected during the crab fishing season in June."

There is also speculation that North Korea could carry out military provocations by redeploying coastal artillery to the maritime buffer zone and conducting firing drills. North Korea already fired coastal artillery from Changrin Island in the West Sea, located within the buffer zone, in November last year. This was a clear violation of the military agreement, but Chairman Kim observed the exercise. Furthermore, there is a possibility that North Korea may retract the withdrawal of guard posts (GPs). North Korea could rebuild dismantled GPs or reinforce existing GPs with troops. GPs are places with a significant risk of accidental military clashes, as seen in the shooting incident on the 3rd of last month.

It is also possible to launch submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) equipped on a 3,000-ton class submarine. The SLBM is the "Pukguksong-3." The Pukguksong-3, which North Korea claims to have successfully launched, was detected at a maximum altitude of about 910 km and a flight distance of approximately 450 km. There is a high possibility that North Korea will first reveal the 3,000-ton class submarine equipped with the SLBM launch system. Simply unveiling a new submarine capable of carrying three SLBMs is enough to exert military pressure on the United States and South Korea. Military authorities are focusing their intelligence efforts on identifying the launch timing of the 3,000-ton class submarine.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.