Chairman of the National Defense Committee of the National Assembly: "Korea-US Training as Scheduled"

Chairman Min Hong-chul of the National Defense Committee and committee members inspected the site of the Yeonpyeong shelling at Fort 7 Company, Yeonpyeong Island, Ongjin County, Incheon on the 19th. / Yeonpyeong Island - Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Cheol-eung] Min Hong-cheol, chairman of the National Defense Committee of the National Assembly and a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, stated that the South Korea-U.S. joint military exercises should be conducted as scheduled. He also conveyed that recent U.S. officials he met expressed a principled stance that the exercises should be carried out.

On the 3rd, Min appeared on MBC Radio's "Kim Jong-bae's Focus" and said, "The South Korea-U.S. joint exercises concern the South Korea-U.S. alliance and our sovereignty, and since they have been conducted annually, they should be done in principle." However, he mentioned that "various circumstances related to COVID-19 need to be considered."

He recently returned from a visit to the U.S. with members of the National Defense Committee. Min said, "I met with the chairpersons and members of the military committees of both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, the Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Policy, and the Pacific Command leadership," adding, "The U.S. officials I met uniformly said that the joint exercises must be conducted."

He continued, "They did not mention any conditions, and I understood it to mean that the exercises should be implemented in principle."

He also reported that both South Korea and the U.S. intend to proceed as planned. Min said, "As far as I know, they are proceeding according to plan. Although there have been no public announcements yet, the military authorities of both countries are reviewing the plan as scheduled."

Regarding North Korea, he viewed their actions as a 'stereotypical tactic.' Min said, "Considering that North Korea-U.S. and inter-Korean relations have been somewhat coordinated, and that communication lines were restored recently, North Korea seems to have used the joint exercises as a pretext to show a conventional tactic again," adding, "It appears to be a deliberate and calculated move to achieve what North Korea wants."

He further stated, "I assess that North Korea is facing significant internal difficulties due to COVID-19 and economic issues," and said, "They seem to be throwing the ball regarding future plans coordinated between South Korea and the U.S., as well as North Korea-U.S. dialogue and inter-Korean relations. North Korea must be facing considerable concerns."

Min remarked, "Isn't this a desperate attempt by North Korea to resolve its difficulties, while at the same time sending some kind of signal to South Korea and the U.S.?"

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