President Yoon: "North Korea will attempt to divide public opinion... Seeking ways to boost the will to resist"

At the State Council Meeting: "Anti-State Forces Operating Throughout Society"
"Need to Strengthen Response Posture Against North Korea's Gray Zone Provocations"

President Yoon Suk-yeol is speaking at the Eulji and the 36th Cabinet Meeting held at the Yongsan Presidential Office Building in Seoul on the 19th. [Image source=Yonhap News]

President Yoon Suk-yeol stated on the 19th, "We must strengthen our response posture against North Korea's gray zone provocations such as the spread of false information and fake news, as well as cyberattacks."

At 10 a.m. that day, President Yoon presided over the Eulji Cabinet Meeting and the regular Cabinet Meeting consecutively at the Yongsan Presidential Office, saying, "Within our society, anti-state forces threatening liberal democracy are lurking everywhere."

President Yoon emphasized, "From the early stages of the war, North Korea will mobilize these forces to intensify public confusion through violence, public opinion manipulation, propaganda, and agitation, aiming to divide national consensus," adding, "We must actively devise measures to block confusion and division and to raise the entire nation's will to resist."

The Eulji Cabinet Meeting was convened to review the government's response posture in the event of a national emergency, as the government-wide Eulji Exercise is conducted over four days and three nights. This year's Eulji Exercise is conducted in conjunction with the South Korea-U.S. joint military exercise 'Eulji Freedom Shield' (UFS). The UFS exercise is the third since the current government took office, designed to check government-level emergency preparedness plans for national emergencies and to strengthen the capabilities for 'wartime transition' and 'national total war execution.'

President Yoon said, "Currently, we are facing the most reckless and irrational provocations and threats from North Korea worldwide," adding, "The North Korean regime is ignoring the miserable lives of its people and is focused on developing nuclear weapons and missiles." Recently, it has been pointed out that North Korea threatens our society with low-level provocations such as GPS jamming attacks and the release of trash balloons.

"War is a hybrid form; a national total war posture is necessary"

President Yoon stated, "Social infrastructure such as transportation, communication, electricity, water supply, and critical national facilities including nuclear power plants must maintain their functions even during wartime to protect social stability and secure the ability to sustain war," urging, "Thorough protective measures for these facilities must be prepared, and response training must be strengthened."

He particularly emphasized that since the nature of war is progressing in a hybrid form combining conventional warfare, irregular warfare, cyber warfare, as well as public opinion and psychological warfare using fake news, a national total war posture where all members unite their strength is necessary.

President Yoon said, "We must solidify the civil defense drills conducted nationwide this Thursday to thoroughly prepare for North Korean air raids," and urged, "The military should ensure the substance of joint military exercises with the U.S. and actual training." This year, the South Korea-U.S. joint field maneuver exercises will be significantly expanded to improve joint operational capabilities and demonstrate the strength of the South Korea-U.S. alliance.

President Yoon added, "Many soldiers from United Nations Command member countries are also expected to participate in this exercise," and said, "We should use this opportunity to strengthen solidarity with the international community through substantive training with our military."

President Yoon Suk-yeol is speaking at the Eulji and the 36th Cabinet Meeting held on the 19th at the Yongsan Presidential Office building in Seoul. [Image source=Yonhap News]

The government's most important policy 'Neulbom School'... Urging smooth implementation

This week, as most elementary schools end their summer vacation and reopen, efforts to ensure the smooth implementation of Neulbom School were also instructed. President Yoon said, "Starting from the second semester, 'Neulbom School' will be expanded to all elementary schools nationwide, including 6,185 elementary schools and 178 special schools," explaining, "Sufficient support in personnel, space, and programs will be provided so that all first-grade students who wish to participate can join Neulbom School."

Regarding Neulbom School, he continued, "It is a national duty that must be fulfilled to reduce the childcare burden on parents and to address the urgent low birthrate issue. The government's most important policy is precisely 'Neulbom School,'" urging, "The government, local governments, and the private sector should all become one team and work together for the future of our children."

Additionally, President Yoon praised the Korean delegation for achieving record-breaking results at the Paris Olympics this year, despite attending with the smallest team in 40 years, and conveyed messages of interest and support for the upcoming 'Paris Paralympics' starting on the 28th.

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