Seo Wook: "North Korean Missiles Identified Before Announcement... Must Maintain Preparedness"

In the National Assembly's government questioning, it was revealed that "it was detected as a ROK-US combined asset"

Minister of National Defense Seo Wook is responding during the government questioning session on diplomacy, unification, and security held at the National Assembly plenary session in Yeouido, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 14th. (Photo by Yonhap News)

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] On the 14th, Defense Minister Seo Wook stated that they had detected North Korea's long-range cruise missile launch before North Korea's announcement.

Minister Seo said during the National Assembly's government questioning session that the launch was detected using combined South Korea-US assets.

When People Power Party lawmaker Cho Tae-yong asked, "Did you know before North Korea announced it?" Minister Seo replied, "Yes," but when asked if they had detected any prior signs of the launch, he responded, "I cannot provide detailed information."

North Korea claimed to have test-launched missiles on the 11th and 12th, flying for 7,580 seconds (126 minutes) and hitting a target 1,500 km away. Some have criticized that our military authorities failed to detect the missiles.

Minister Seo did not provide specific answers due to South Korea-US SI (Special Intelligence from signals interception) information but explained that detailed analysis is being conducted in cooperation between the two countries. Minister Seo said, "Cruise missile launches are basically not announced."

Regarding North Korea's cruise missile technological level, Minister Seo said, "We have been aware since the early 2000s of their missile development trends, and we assess that they have been actively developing new cruise missiles based on accumulated technology."

When People's Party lawmaker Lee Tae-gyu asked, "How much of a military threat do North Korea's cruise missiles pose to our security?" Minister Seo replied, "It is currently at an early stage, but if their capabilities grow, it will affect our security, so we must maintain a readiness posture."

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