Bolton Memoir Learning Effect... Cheong, Preemptive Blocking of Korean Peninsula Nuclear Weapons Controversy

The cover of Bob Woodward's book "Rage," released on the 9th (local time) ahead of its publication on the 15th. Woodward, the Watergate investigative journalist, interviewed President Trump 18 times between December 2019 and July this year, using these interviews as the basis for his new book.

As controversy spreads over parts of the new book "Rage" by American journalist Bob Woodward, the Blue House has responded promptly to contain the situation. Given the provocative content attracting significant attention, there appears to be concern that if left unchecked, distorted facts could become accepted as truth. Additionally, this response serves to preemptively prevent unnecessary tension. This approach seems to reflect the Blue House's experience of embarrassment over former U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton's memoir.

Woodward, the 'Watergate' investigative reporter, revealed in the book that the U.S. Strategic Command in Nebraska carefully studied and reviewed 'Operation Plan (OPLAN) 5027' for regime change in North Korea, which includes the possibility of using 80 nuclear weapons in the event of an attack. OPLAN 5027 is a combined South Korea-U.S. operational plan for contingencies on the Korean Peninsula.

In response, a senior Blue House official told reporters on the 14th, "President Moon Jae-in clearly articulated a stance against war in his August 15, 2017, commemorative speech, emphasizing that war must never occur again on the Korean Peninsula." He added, "What can be stated definitively is that the use of nuclear weapons is not part of our operational plans, and any use of force within the Korean Peninsula is impossible without our country's consent."

The official further noted, "It is well known that the situation at that time (2017) was very serious," adding, "Foreign media openly used the term 'surgical strike'?a method of selectively and precisely targeting objectives?against North Korea."

He also said, "It is not appropriate for the Blue House to comment on the works of foreign journalists," and did not directly confirm the factual accuracy of Woodward's claims.

However, through this low-key response providing detailed background, the Blue House indirectly emphasized that the situation on the Korean Peninsula remains under South Korea's leadership. Earlier, in June, most of the content of former advisor Bolton's memoir was disclosed through the media before publication, and the government's restrained response led to ongoing premature controversies.

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