Yoon: "North Korean Provocation Will Trigger Immediate and Strong Retaliation by South Korea and the U.S."

APEC Summit Pre-Attendance AP Interview
Protest Against Russia-North Korea Military Cooperation and Discussion on International Response
Yoon: "This Meeting Is an Opportunity to Show Crisis-Overcoming Leadership"

President Yoon Suk-yeol warned on the 14th that "North Korea's provocations will trigger an immediate and strong retaliation from the Republic of Korea and the United States."

In a written interview with the Associated Press published that day, President Yoon stated that he will attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit held in San Francisco, USA, from the 15th to the 17th (local time) and strongly protest the illegal military cooperation between North Korea and Russia, as well as discuss international responses.

Military experts believe that if North Korea supplies weapons to Russia, which invaded Ukraine, and Russia provides satellite technology to North Korea, North Korea's intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capabilities will be enhanced, posing a global security threat. Furthermore, with the world’s attention focused on Eastern Europe and the Middle East amid the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian armed faction Hamas, there is speculation that North Korea may take advantage of this distraction to engage in active provocations.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

President Yoon expressed concern, saying, "In a situation where the world is focused on the conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine, there is worry that North Korea might make miscalculations and take actions against South Korea."

President Yoon criticized the illegal military cooperation between Russia and North Korea and cited the combined deterrence based on the ROK-US joint defense posture as an effective way to prevent North Korea’s misjudgments. As an example, he mentioned the recent visits to South Korea by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, evaluating the ROK-US alliance as strong.

President Yoon also pointed out, "North Korea's provocations will not only fail to achieve their intended goals but will also provoke an immediate and strong retaliation from the (ROK-US) alliance." He further criticized, "The military cooperation between North Korea and Russia poses a serious threat to the security of the Korean Peninsula, Northeast Asia, and Europe, and undermines the international order based on universal rules."

President Yoon mentioned that the purpose of North Korea’s planned reconnaissance satellite launch is the development of nuclear delivery means. He emphasized, "If North Korea succeeds in launching a military reconnaissance satellite, it means that North Korea has taken its intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capabilities to the next level," and stressed the need to prepare enhanced countermeasures.

President Yoon clearly stated that amid unprecedented crises such as the war in Ukraine, the Israel-Hamas conflict, the climate crisis, and high inflation, APEC has the opportunity to lead crisis recovery and demonstrate leadership by promoting regional cooperation and innovation.

He said, "I will urge APEC member countries to work together with a stronger spirit of solidarity and cooperation not only for inclusive and sustainable growth but also for the liberalization of trade and investment, as well as progress in innovation and digitalization."

Regarding the vulnerability of energy security caused by the Ukraine war and Middle East conflict, and the supply chain issues that are major obstacles to regional economic development, he urged, "The Asia-Pacific region must strive to become a free space where people, money, data, as well as goods and services flow smoothly."

He also emphasized the need to establish new norms of digital ethics suitable for the era of hyper-scale digitalization. President Yoon said, "Because digital technology has no borders and is characterized by connectivity and immediacy, it is necessary to establish universal norms applicable to everyone in the international community."

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