Defense Minister Lee Jong-seop: "Time to Change North Korea's Nuclear Strategy"

Attended the Full Meeting of the People Power Party's North Korea Nuclear Crisis Response Special Committee: "Destruction if North Korea Uses Nuclear Weapons"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] Lee Jong-seop, Minister of National Defense, said on the 26th regarding North Korea's nuclear response, "Until now, we have focused on preventing North Korea from conducting additional nuclear tests or suppressing the advancement of its nuclear capabilities, but now it is time to change our strategy," he said.

Minister Lee attended the full meeting of the People Power Party's North Korea Nuclear Crisis Response Special Committee held at the National Assembly that day and emphasized, "If North Korea attempts to use nuclear weapons, it will bring about the end of the North Korean regime. We must clearly instill the perception that it will completely disappear to deter them from using nuclear weapons as a priority."

Minister Lee specifically stated, "We need to enhance the credibility of the U.S. extended deterrence commitment," and added, "Now, it is necessary to establish institutional measures that can clearly guarantee the U.S. extended deterrence commitment." He also said, "In that regard, from our military's standpoint, we are in the process of consulting with the U.S. on various matters, especially expanding the scope of our involvement in information sharing, planning, the planning stage, training, and exercises."

Minister Lee also emphasized the 'strengthening of the Korean-style 3-axis system,' saying, "We cannot only rely on the U.S., so we must also enhance our own capabilities." He explained, "We are promoting the establishment of the Strategic Command with the idea of how to integrate and operate the Korean-style 3-axis system efficiently, and we are trying to secure intelligence surveillance assets," adding, "We aim to have the capability to fully monitor their movements starting from the pre-launch phase, and by doing so, focus on measures to physically or non-physically neutralize them in advance."

Kim Ki-woong, Vice Minister of Unification, reported that day regarding North Korea's 7th nuclear test trends, "It seems that preparations for the nuclear test are complete, but they are weighing the timing (of the test)." He added regarding North Korea's provocations, "We are also closely monitoring the possibility of local provocations or provocations such as cutting off our communication lines."

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