[2023 National Assembly Audit] Air Force Chief: "Military Influence Declined Due to September 19 Military Agreement"

National Defense Committee of the National Assembly, Air Force Headquarters Audit
Opposition Questions Impact of Suspending 9·19 Military Agreement
Air Force Chief: "North Korea Does Not Comply, Needs Supplementation"

Air Force Chief of Staff Jeong Sang-hwa expressed his position on the controversial 9·19 inter-Korean military agreement, which the government is considering suspending, stating that "from a military perspective, simply comparing, there is a part where our influence slightly decreases due to the military agreement."

On the 23rd, at the National Assembly Defense Committee’s Air Force Headquarters audit held at Gyeryongdae in Chungnam, Chief Jeong responded this way to a question from Democratic Party lawmaker Ki Dong-min about his views on suspending the effectiveness of the 9·19 military agreement. He added, "The biggest problem is that North Korea does not abide by the 9·19 military agreement and provokes," explaining, "Because of this, it has become an unreliable situation, so the military’s position is that we need to supplement it more perfectly militarily." However, he further noted, "Since it is not only a military issue, it must be well coordinated through various related agencies."

On the 23rd, at the National Defense Committee Air Force Headquarters audit held at Gyeryongdae, Chungnam, Air Force Chief of Staff Jeong Sang-hwa is speaking.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Byung-joo asked whether the 'no-fly zone' established around the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) under the 9·19 military agreement, which inflicts greater damage on North Korea as well as South Korea, restricts the activities of the high-altitude unmanned reconnaissance aircraft Global Hawk operated by the Air Force. In response, Chief Jeong said, "It is certainly more restricted than if there were no no-fly zone."

The 9·19 military agreement is an annex to the Pyongyang Joint Declaration signed in 2018 by then-President Moon Jae-in and North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un. It mainly prohibits military exercises and flights around the MDL. Specifically, based on the MDL, fixed-wing aircraft are prohibited from military activities within 20 to 40 km, rotary-wing aircraft including helicopters within 10 km, and unmanned aerial vehicles within 10 to 15 km altitude.

Additionally, there was a question about the joint air exercise conducted the previous day near the Korean Peninsula by South Korea, the United States, and Japan. In response to People Power Party lawmaker Lee Heon-seung’s question about whether the three countries had previously conducted joint air exercises, Chief Jeong answered, "This is the first time." He then explained the participating forces, saying, "Two B-52 (U.S. strategic bombers) and two fighter jets from each of South Korea, the U.S., and Japan participated."

Regarding the background of the first-ever South Korea-U.S.-Japan joint air exercise, he said, "It was conducted to respond to the heightened nuclear threat from North Korea," adding, "Of course, it was promoted based on the (strengthening trilateral security cooperation) announced by the leaders of South Korea, the U.S., and Japan at Camp David."

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