Meeting of All Military Commanders... Discussion on Suspension of Military Agreement Effectiveness

Defense Minister Shin Won-sik: "Ready to Deploy Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance"

On the early morning of the 22nd, Defense Minister Shin Won-sik presided over a meeting of key commanders of the entire military regarding North Korea's launch of a military reconnaissance satellite.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

At the meeting, Minister Shin discussed military measures in preparation for the partial suspension of the September 19 Inter-Korean Military Agreement and urged the maintenance of a firm military readiness posture, according to the Ministry of National Defense. He pointed out, "North Korea's satellite launch is a clear violation of the UN Security Council resolutions and a serious provocation against not only the Republic of Korea but also the international community," and then instructed, "In the event of a partial suspension of the military agreement, meticulously prepare military measures such as changing plans and deployment readiness for combined intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) assets."

Minister Shin emphasized, "Strengthen surveillance and response postures in anticipation of the enemy possibly carrying out tactical provocations under the pretext of suspension, and if the enemy provokes, retaliate based on the principle of 'immediate, strong, and relentless retaliation.'"

The Standing Committee of the National Security Council (NSC) stated in a press release that "due to the constraints of the September 19 Military Agreement, our security posture in the border areas has become more vulnerable," and announced, "The government will pursue the suspension of Article 1, Paragraph 3 (establishment of no-fly zones) of the September 19 Military Agreement." It also declared the restoration of reconnaissance and surveillance activities against the North around the Military Demarcation Line, which had been suspended in the past due to the establishment of no-fly zones.

North Korea announced through the Korean Central News Agency that its first military reconnaissance satellite, Manlilyeong-1, launched the previous night, had accurately entered orbit, and stated, "(Going forward) we plan to continue securing reconnaissance capabilities over the South Korean region and operationally significant areas of the Republic's armed forces."

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