North Korea Missile Provocation Again... President Yoon Holds First NSC Meeting (Comprehensive)

Trilateral Cooperation Among South Korea, US, and Japan Faces Countermeasures from North Korea, China, and Russia
Yoon Orders Implementation of Strengthened Allied Defense Posture

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki-min Lee] Tensions on the Korean Peninsula are expected to escalate as North Korea launched three ballistic missiles on the 25th, immediately following U.S. President Joe Biden's Asia tour.

In particular, since Chinese and Russian military aircraft consecutively intruded into South Korea's Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) before North Korea's provocation, some analysts evaluate that North Korea, China, and Russia have begun countering the trilateral cooperation among South Korea, the U.S., and Japan.

President Yoon Suk-yeol convened the National Security Council (NSC) immediately after the missile provocation and ordered, "Implement practical measures such as the execution of extended deterrence agreed upon between the South Korean and U.S. presidents and the strengthening of the combined defense posture."

The Joint Chiefs of Staff announced on the 25th that they detected North Korea launching three ballistic missiles between 6:00 a.m. and 6:42 a.m. from the Sunan area near Pyongyang. After analyzing the specifications, the JCS added that the missiles are presumed to be intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), flying eastward at an altitude of 540 km and a distance of 360 km.

President Yoon convened the NSC that morning. This was the first time the president chaired the NSC since the new government took office on the 10th.

During the NSC meeting, which lasted 1 hour and 3 minutes starting at 7:35 a.m., President Yoon received reports on North Korea's missile launch and the readiness posture, then urged, "Maintain a constant state of readiness so that there is not a single gap in the security of the Republic of Korea."

He added, "Based on South Korea-U.S. cooperation, closely collaborate with related countries and the international community to thoroughly implement international sanctions against North Korea, including United Nations Security Council resolutions."

He also instructed all ministries to thoroughly review the related situation and to do their utmost to ensure that there are no negative impacts on the daily lives of citizens and the South Korean economy.

The meeting was attended by Kim Sung-han, Director of the National Security Office; Kim Tae-hyo, First Deputy Director; Shin In-ho, Second Deputy Director; Kim Dae-gi, Chief of the Presidential Secretariat; Park Jin, Minister of Foreign Affairs; Kwon Young-se, Minister of Unification; Lee Jong-sup, Minister of National Defense; and Kwon Chun-taek, First Deputy Director of the National Intelligence Service.

The government also issued a statement saying, "North Korea's consecutive launches of ballistic missiles, presumed to be ICBMs and short-range ballistic missiles, today are illegal acts that directly violate UN Security Council resolutions and constitute serious provocations threatening peace on the Korean Peninsula and the international community." It strongly criticized, "North Korea's continued provocations can only lead to stronger and faster combined deterrence by South Korea and the U.S., and will only bring about North Korea's international isolation."

It continued, "The government maintains a constant state of readiness to respond strongly and effectively to any provocation by North Korea, and will take practical measures to protect the security of the Republic of Korea and the safety of its people based on the firm South Korea-U.S. alliance. North Korea must comply with UN Security Council resolutions and respond to dialogue for establishing peace on the Korean Peninsula," it urged.

Since the South Korea-U.S. leaders officially confirmed for the first time the deployment of U.S. strategic assets in case of emergency, it is expected that South Korea's response level will also increase.

Earlier, the South Korea-U.S. leaders emphasized in their joint statement, "We reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to deploy U.S. strategic assets in a timely and coordinated manner if necessary."

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