Cheong "Military actions on the Korean Peninsula are decided only by the Republic of Korea... Impossible without our consent"

US Journalist Clarifies Claim That US Is Considering Nuclear Weapon Use Against North Korea
Blocking Unnecessary Tensions and Security Concerns Due to Sensational Content

North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong Un visited the flood damage site in Daecheong-ri, Eunpa County, Hwanghae Province again after a month to inspect the restoration progress, according to a report by the Korean Central News Agency on the 12th.

When North Korea launched its first intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM)-class Hwasong-14 in 2017, the Blue House reaffirmed on the 14th its position that "military actions on the Korean Peninsula can only be decided by the Republic of Korea, and no one can decide military actions without South Korea's consent," in response to claims that the United States had considered the possibility of using nuclear weapons with regime change in North Korea in mind.

A senior Blue House official told reporters that day, "President Moon Jae-in clearly explained the stance of rejecting war in his August 15, 2017 commemorative speech and emphasized that war must never happen again on the Korean Peninsula."

This is an explanation from the Blue House regarding content in Bob Woodward's new book "Rage," the investigative journalist famous for the Watergate scandal.

The official prefaced by saying, "It is not appropriate for the Blue House to comment on foreign journalists' works," but it appears the Blue House stepped forward to clarify in order to prevent distortion of facts and unnecessary escalation of tensions due to provocative content.

The official explained, "It is well known that the situation in 2017 was very serious," adding, "Foreign media openly used the term 'surgical strike'?a method of selectively and precisely targeting objectives like surgery?regarding the U.S. stance toward North Korea." Indeed, 2017 saw North Korea and the U.S. exchange extreme rhetoric such as "fire and fury" and "nuclear button," escalating tensions to a critical level.

He said, "Please recall that President Moon had the Berlin Initiative on July 6, 2017, amid this situation." During his visit to Germany, President Moon declared the Berlin Initiative in a speech at the former Berlin City Hall, hosted by the K?rber Foundation, stating, "We will begin a bold journey to establish a peace regime on the Korean Peninsula."

The official added, "One month later, in the August 15 commemorative speech, President Moon clearly explained the stance of rejecting war and emphasized that there must never be war again on the Korean Peninsula."

He continued, "Military actions on the Korean Peninsula can only be decided by the Republic of Korea, and no one can decide military actions without South Korea's consent. The government is committed to doing everything possible to prevent war?that was the essence of President Moon's speech."

Furthermore, the senior official reiterated, "What can be clearly stated is that there was no plan to use nuclear weapons against North Korea in our operational plans, and that the use of force on the Korean Peninsula is impossible without our country's consent, which President Moon clearly stated in his commemorative speech."

President Moon Jae-in is presiding over the senior secretaries and aides meeting at the Blue House on the 14th.

Meanwhile, according to some leaked content from "Rage" recently reported in the media, when North Korea launched the Hwasong-14 on July 4, 2017, Korea Standard Time, then-Secretary of Defense James Mattis approved an order by then-Commander of U.S. Forces Korea Vincent Brooks to launch U.S. tactical missiles.

Woodward detailed Mattis's anguish, including how he went to a church to pray at the end of 2017 when tensions between North Korea and the U.S. were at their peak, and reported, "Mattis did not think President Trump would launch a preemptive strike on North Korea, but plans for such a war were prepared."

He further explained that the U.S. Strategic Command in Nebraska carefully studied and reviewed Operational Plan 5027 for regime change in North Korea, which includes the possibility of using 80 nuclear weapons as part of the U.S. response to an attack.

Woodward also reported that Operational Plan 5015, aimed at striking leadership, was updated. OPLAN 5027 is a combined U.S.-South Korea operational plan for contingencies on the Korean Peninsula. OPLAN 5015 is known to replace 5027 with a focus on leadership strikes and other objectives.

Woodward said that after North Korea launched the medium-to-long-range ballistic missile Hwasong-12 on August 29, 2017, Secretary Mattis began seeking more aggressive response options and even considered whether it was necessary to bomb one of North Korea's ports to send a message.

At that time, although only the president had the authority to approve the use of nuclear weapons, Mattis thought the decision depended on his recommendations and agonized over what to do in a situation that could cost millions of lives.

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