Will the Reemergence of "Seoul Bulbada" Lead to Military Provocation?

Symbol of Catastrophe Emerging During Kim Young-sam Government
Daily Verbal Attacks... Increasing Threat Intensity

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] "Seoul is not far from here. If a war breaks out, it will become a sea of fire." "No, right now..." "Mr. Song probably won't survive either." "Is that something to say?"

On March 19, 1994, during the Kim Young-sam administration, the North and South met at Panmunjom. At the inter-Korean working-level talks held at the Peace House on the southern side of Panmunjom to discuss issues such as North Korea's withdrawal from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), the South Korean representative was former Vice Minister of Unification Song Young-dae, and the North Korean representative was Park Young-soo, Deputy Director (Vice Minister level) of the Secretariat of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland. At this meeting, the North Korean representative made the abusive remark about turning Seoul into a "sea of fire."

Since then, this remark has become an 'icon of catastrophe' that resurfaces whenever inter-Korean relations deteriorate. When North Korea's "Seoul sea of fire" remark emerged at the time, residents of the metropolitan area were gripped by great fear. This fear led to a panic of "hoarding daily necessities." Housewives flocked to food sections in department stores, waiting over two hours to sweep up daily necessities, a phenomenon that lasted for three days.

North Korea has once again brought up the "Seoul sea of fire" theory and is continuing its harsh threats against South Korea. Following the demolition of the Kaesong Inter-Korean Joint Liaison Office, a symbol of inter-Korean reconciliation, North Korea has openly expressed its intention to effectively nullify the worst-case scenario 9.19 Inter-Korean Military Agreement, thereby escalating the intensity of its threats.

On the 17th, the Korean Central News Agency threatened the Ministry of Unification and Ministry of National Defense, which expressed strong regret over the demolition of the Inter-Korean Joint Liaison Office, calling it "the height of shameless disgrace" and warning, "If you miscalculate, the long-forgotten Seoul sea of fire theory may resurface, and even more horrific threats could be inflicted." This indicates that after Kim Yo-jong's statement, North Korea is not only taking measures to break down inter-Korean relations but is also hinting at the possibility of military provocations.

The backbone of North Korea's mention of the Seoul sea of fire is its core artillery forces. The long-range artillery such as 170mm self-propelled guns and 240mm multiple rocket launchers deployed north of the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) directly target the Blue House and government offices. Since Seoul and the metropolitan area are within range, these are classified as strategic assets that North Korea boasts about. If North Korea fires these long-range artillery pieces simultaneously in an emergency, missile defense systems like the Patriot interceptors would essentially become useless. The United States once prepared to launch a preemptive strike against North Korea but canceled it at the last minute, considering that tens of thousands of casualties would be inevitable due to attacks from North Korea's long-range artillery.

North Korea also continued to highlight the collapse of inter-Korean relations by publicly showing the devastating footage of the demolition of the Inter-Korean Joint Liaison Office to its residents. On that day, the Workers' Party organ Rodong Sinmun featured six high-resolution color photos capturing the moment of the Kaesong Inter-Korean Joint Liaison Office explosion on its front page with the headline "The Ominous Prelude to the Total Collapse of Inter-Korean Relations: Complete Destruction of the Inter-Korean Joint Liaison Office."

Additionally, Rodong Sinmun devoted an entire page to reprinting statements criticizing South Korea from Kim Yo-jong, First Deputy Director of the Workers' Party Central Committee, Jang Kum-chol, Head of the United Front Department, and a spokesperson for the General Staff of the Korean People's Army.

Analysts note that it is unusual for North Korea to quickly release high-resolution photos before and after the demolition of the Inter-Korean Joint Liaison Office. Although retaliatory measures such as Kim Yo-jong's statements and the cutting of communication lines have followed, none have been as visually striking as this, suggesting that North Korea is facing a significant turning point.

On the 17th, a soldier is strengthening security at the Unification Bridge in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, as North Korea hinted at breaking the military agreement by resuming military exercises in the border area. North Korea abruptly blew up the Kaesong Inter-Korean Joint Liaison Office on the 16th. / Paju = Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

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