Minister Shin Won-sik: "In Case of North Korean Provocation, 'Retaliate First, Report Later'"

Subangsa B-1 Document Storage Room... Joint Training Site Inspection

Minister of National Defense Shin Won-sik visited the underground bunker B-1 document storage at the Capital Defense Command to inspect the site of the regular ROK-U.S. combined exercise "Freedom Shield" (FS).

Defense Minister Shin Won-sik visited the B-1 document storage on the 7th and received a briefing on the 'Freedom Shield (FS)' joint exercise situation from Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Kim Myung-soo.

According to the Ministry of National Defense on the 7th, after receiving a briefing on the FS exercise situation, Minister Shin said, "Yesterday, Kim Jong-un distorted our defensive exercise as a 'war provocation attempt' and ordered thorough suppression," adding, "If the enemy invades our Republic of Korea, ensure that practical exercises and training are fully prepared so that the Kim Jong-un regime can be ended in the shortest possible time."

He also emphasized, "Through this exercise, we must further strengthen our readiness against changed security threats such as gray zone provocations with unclear actors and fake news, as well as multi-domain operational capabilities across land, sea, air, cyber, and space."

Minister Shin further stated, "North Korea may attempt various provocations during the FS exercise period, including artillery shelling in contact areas, drone infiltration, and cyberattacks," and instructed, "If North Korea provokes under the pretext of our defensive exercise, follow the principle of 'immediate, strong, and thorough' (즉·강·끝) by going beyond 'preemptive action and then reporting' to 'preemptive retaliation and then reporting.'"

He inspected the readiness posture of the Capital Defense Command and urged, "I hope you maintain a firm readiness posture with pride as the 'elite unit guarding the heart of the Republic of Korea.'"

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