"The Military Should Have Stopped the Leaflet Drops to North Korea"…Defense Committee Without Opposition Criticizes Jeong Kyeong-doo

Jung Kyung-doo: "Kim Yo-jong plays the villain role... Sharing duties as the de facto second-in-command"

Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo is attending the National Assembly Defense Committee plenary meeting on the 22nd and reporting on duties. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] At the National Defense Committee meeting held on the 22nd amid the Future United Party's boycott of the standing committee, defense committee members criticized Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-du, asking, "Shouldn't we control the distribution of leaflets to North Korea?" They requested efforts in crisis management, emphasizing the need to prepare for military clashes between the two Koreas while avoiding escalation. Minister Jeong described Kim Yo-jong, the First Deputy Director of the Workers' Party of North Korea, as playing the role of the "villain."

On the same day, at the National Defense Committee meeting held in the National Assembly, Rep. Seol Hoon of the Democratic Party of Korea pointed out, "When some forces within the Republic of Korea attempt to distribute leaflets, anyone should stop them, and the military is no exception."

He stated, "The balloons carrying leaflets to North Korea contain USB drives, dollars, and other items, and since they are considered unmanned free-floating devices, they should not be launched in no-fly zones," and asked, "The Ministry of National Defense should stop this, but will the minister order active prevention?" In response, Minister Jeong said, "The military is doing as much as it can," and added, "We have issued orders to strictly control any activities beyond the intended purpose north of the Military Demarcation Line."

Democratic Party Rep. Kim Min-ki also said, "In a situation where the threat from North Korea is significant, controlling the distribution of leaflets is impossible, and the number of times leaflets were sent over the past four years differs between the Ministry of Unification and the police," emphasizing, "The Ministry of National Defense must control this." Minister Jeong stressed, "Since this is a matter involving civilian organizations, the Ministry of National Defense cannot intervene," but added, "We will ensure control over activities conducted north of the Military Demarcation Line."

Democratic Party Rep. Kim Byung-ki expressed concerns about military clashes. He said, "We must do our best to detect in advance, but if a military clash occurs, we should notify North Korea that we will act according to principles," and asked, "If North Korea deploys troops to the Guard Posts (GPs), can we respond by resuming loudspeaker broadcasts?" Minister Jeong was reserved about resuming loudspeaker broadcasts but replied, "We will take immediate action depending on the situation while maintaining stable situation management."

Rep. Kim also raised questions about the possibility of North Korea's submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBM) and inquired about the construction of new submarines. Minister Jeong responded, "(SLBMs are) included in North Korea's responses, but it is difficult to specify the probability," and added, "It is hard to be certain that the development of submarines is complete." Regarding signs of additional tests of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), he said, "We are monitoring the possibility, but there are no immediate signs."

Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo is attending the National Assembly National Defense Committee plenary session on the 22nd and reporting on his duties. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

Minister Jeong also explained that Kim Yo-jong's position is that of the 'villain.' In response to a question from Democratic Party Rep. Park Sung-jun, he said, "She is the de facto second-in-command. Rather than having military expertise, she plays a practical role as the second-in-command, sharing duties," and added, "The villain role is handled by those below, while the ultimate authority, including improvements in inter-Korean relations or North Korea-US relations, is solidified under Chairman Kim Jong-un's name."

At the National Defense Committee meeting that day, Minister Jeong delivered a work report and briefed on North Korea's internal and external trends and military developments. He said, "Amid rising tensions due to North Korea's continuous verbal attacks against the South and the demolition of the inter-Korean joint liaison office, the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), an unconventional security threat, is threatening our people," and added, "Our military maintains a defense posture capable of responding to all these situations and any unexpected threats."

Furthermore, the Ministry of National Defense recently assessed North Korea's threatening intentions as ▲attempting to pressure the South through practical measures following Kim Yo-jong's statements ▲strengthening regime cohesion through mass rallies inciting hostility toward the South ▲pressuring a shift in the US's North Korea policy by escalating security crises on the Korean Peninsula. The ministry stated it will closely monitor North Korean military movements 24 hours a day. It also emphasized maintaining a firm military readiness posture capable of rapid response to all situations, managing stability to prevent escalation of military crises, and strongly responding if North Korea carries out military provocations.

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