North Korea Emphasizes 'War Deterrence'... Focus on 'Regime Security Guarantee' Card as a Potential Dialogue Clue

President Moon Jae-in is giving a hand salute toward the remains of fallen soldiers of the Korean military being escorted at the 70th anniversary event of the Korean War held at Seoul Airport on the 25th.

North Korea emphasized strengthening its war deterrence capability on the 70th anniversary of the Korean War, claiming that this is a result of the United States' hostile policy toward North Korea. They argue that their possession of nuclear weapons and military buildup are self-defensive measures against U.S. aggression. This claim, emerging alongside North Korea's recent easing of external criticism, draws attention and has led to evaluations that the issue of 'regime security guarantees' should be the point of convergence to resume inter-Korean and North Korea-U.S. dialogues.

On the 25th, North Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Institute for Disarmament and Peace published a 'research report' of about 13,000 characters titled "The Withdrawal of the U.S. Hostile Policy Toward the DPRK is an Indispensable Prerequisite for Peace and Stability on the Korean Peninsula," asserting that "strengthening our war deterrence to protect national security and ensure development is an exercise of legitimate self-defense rights that no one can dispute."

In the report, North Korea continuously emphasized that its security is threatened by the United States.

The institute stated, "To eliminate the U.S. nuclear threat, the government of the Republic (North Korea) has tried efforts through dialogue and efforts based on international law, but all have ended in failure," adding, "The only remaining choice was to counter nuclear weapons with nuclear weapons." It further said, "Ultimately, it was the U.S. that persistently pushed us toward nuclear possession."

Additionally, North Korea emphasized, "For our people who were forced to endure a horrific war on this land by the United States, a strong and powerful war deterrence for national defense has become an indispensable strategic choice."

North Korea escalated inter-Korean relations to their worst phase this month by blowing up the Kaesong Inter-Korean Joint Liaison Office. Then, on the 24th, North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong Un abruptly suspended military actions against the South, creating an opportunity for a shift in the situation. The message from the institute on the 25th is evaluated as clearly revealing North Korea's demands.

The South Korean government is responding sensitively and closely monitoring these changes in North Korea. President Moon Jae-in also emphasized the will to guarantee North Korea's regime security in his speech commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Korean War on the 25th. President Moon said, "We have no intention of imposing our system on North Korea," and added, "Before talking about unification, I hope we can first become good neighbors."

North Korea harbors fears of joint South Korea-U.S. military exercises and forced unification. To break the deadlock in inter-Korean dialogue and bring North Korea to the negotiating table, it is pointed out that it is necessary to alleviate North Korea's anxieties. Discussions on mutual regime security between the two Koreas could later expand into North Korea-U.S. talks.

Hong Min, head of the North Korea Research Division at the Korea Institute for National Unification (KINU), said at a KINU forum on the 10th, "It is necessary to boldly shift the framework to approach inter-Korean relations not as subordinate to North Korea-U.S. relations or denuclearization, but in terms of 'mutual security guarantees' between the two Koreas," adding, "On the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Korean War, it is necessary to revive the concept of 'mutual security guarantees' between the two Koreas and urge military talks."

On the 25th, after North Korea announced at the Party Central Military Commission's preliminary meeting that it would postpone its military action plan against the South and effectively halted its propaganda campaign through anti-South criticism articles, the area of Yeonan County, Hwanghae Province, North Korea, viewed from Ganghwa County, Incheon, showed a calm scene without any signs of people.

Meanwhile, North Korea did not hold its annual anti-American mass rallies on June 25 this year, following the same in 2018 and 2019.

Reviewing major North Korean media such as the Korean Central News Agency, Rodong Sinmun, and Korean Central TV on the 26th, there was coverage of events related to the 70th anniversary of the Korean War, but no mention of anti-American mass rallies.

This year, with the prolonged deadlock in North Korea-U.S. negotiations and the 70th anniversary of the Korean War marking a 'turning year,' a politically significant moment, the omission of mass rallies stands out. This is the third consecutive year that North Korea has not held an anti-American mass rally on June 25.

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