Kim Byung-gi: "The Most Concerning North Korean Threat Is SLBM... If They Use That, It Will Lead to Catastrophe"

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeon Jinyoung] Kim Byung-gi, the ruling party secretary of the National Assembly Intelligence Committee from the Democratic Party of Korea, expressed concern on the 17th about the possibility of North Korea's military provocations following the explosion of the Kaesong Inter-Korean Joint Liaison Office.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Kim said in a meeting with reporters at the National Assembly that morning, "The biggest concern is not the advance into the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) but military provocations, and globally, provocations with upgraded and advanced weapon systems." He added, "What worries me is the submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM). If they go that far, it will lead to catastrophe."

He continued, "Seeing that they do not hesitate to destroy even the Kaesong Industrial Complex facilities is more worrisome than expected," expressing his concern. Kim analyzed, "What Kim Yo-jong, the first deputy director of the Workers' Party Central Committee, says is upheld. Otherwise, a dictatorship cannot endure," and added, "So they will follow through. There are some hopeful judgments, but it will not go that way."

Regarding the timing of North Korea's provocation, he said it was "evil but clever." He stated, "The timing was chosen very cleverly. Next year is before our (presidential) election, and the U.S. presidential election is this coming November, so President Donald Trump cannot admit failure in North Korea negotiations."

About the National Intelligence Service briefing scheduled for that afternoon, Kim said, "This will not end in one day; the Intelligence Committee will likely need to receive a work report around next week." He criticized, "Even though the provocation scenario had been discussed continuously since the breakdown of the Hanoi talks, I wonder if the National Intelligence Service gave a hopeful report during the briefing. If I say it harshly, it is deception, but they could not have been unaware of this."

He pointed out, "The current situation is clearly different from 2018. Even if there was no issue with leaflets sent to North Korea, the consensus is that North Korea would have provoked anyway." He added, "Of course, if defamation against our country is number one, then defamation against Kim Jong-un is number one for North Korea. Although they were given an excuse, the National Intelligence Service should have known."

He further said, "They probably thought about this issue too lightly. We need to see how the report was made, but they probably will not bring it."

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