President Moon: "During regime change, a thorough defense posture must be maintained"

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo In-ho] President Moon Jae-in stated on the 29th regarding signs of military provocations such as North Korea's intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launches, "The military must maintain a flawless defense posture."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

At a luncheon meeting to encourage senior military officials held at the Blue House that day, President Moon said, "Depending on the situation, there is concern that the extraordinary circumstances we worried about in the early days of our government could continue through the regime transition period or the early days of the next administration."

President Moon added, "There are concerns about potential gaps due to the relocation of the presidential office and the Ministry of National Defense and Joint Chiefs of Staff, but I ask you to maintain a more thorough defense posture so that such worries do not arise."

Regarding the security policy during his term, President Moon said, "During our government's five years, there was not a single military clash with North Korea. This is the second time following the Roh Moo-hyun administration," and added, "Thanks to the peace we have diligently maintained, we were able to achieve these results. Compared to the times when there was a risk of war, this is a very precious achievement."

He continued, "In past administrations, there were military clashes such as the Cheonan sinking, Yeonpyeong Island shelling, and landmine incidents," referring to clashes during the Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye administrations.

President Moon said, "Because we have protected peace and security well, many people think of peace and security as something that exists naturally, like air, as if it is a given."

He explained, "However, at the beginning of the 2017 government, the Korean Peninsula faced a crisis due to North Korea's missile launches and nuclear tests, and the brink-of-war situation caused by the strong confrontation between North Korea and the United States. We made every effort to shift the confrontation phase to a phase of dialogue and diplomacy."

He added, "At the center of this is our military. We did not rely solely on dialogue and diplomacy but always strived to maintain stronger defense capabilities than ever before," emphasizing, "We increased the defense budget more than any previous government and reached a level evaluated as the world's 6th strongest comprehensive military power. Based on this defense capability, we were able to achieve peace through strength."

He also encouraged, "The military has played various roles not only in its primary mission of defense but also in aspects of comprehensive security, such as COVID-19 prevention."

President Moon once again expressed gratitude, saying, "I thank our military for the security and peace achievements over the past five years and urge the military to play a pivotal role so that peace and security can continue into the next government."

Attending the luncheon were Minister of National Defense Seo Wook, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Won In-chul, Army Chief of Staff Nam Young-shin, Navy Chief of Naval Operations Kim Jung-soo, and Air Force Chief of Staff Park In-ho.

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