[앵커]
This is the ‘Korean Peninsula Briefing’, a conversation corner on Saturday that recapitulates the situation on the Korean Peninsula and foreign and security issues over the past week.
We are with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Security and reporter Ji Seong-rim, who is in charge of North Korea issues.
welcome.
[기자]
hello.
[앵커]
Last Saturday was the Chuseok holiday, so the ‘Korean Peninsula Briefing’ was not held.
So today, I’m going to summarize what happened in the last two weeks.
There have been several notable diplomatic and security issues over the past two weeks, but there is a key keyword that runs through them all.
That’s the ‘North Korean nuclear weapon’.
North Korea has enacted guidelines on the use of nuclear weapons, and South Korea and the United States have announced that they will respond more overwhelmingly to North Korea’s aggressive nuclear threat.
So, first of all, let me introduce you to the main topic.
[기자]
Last 9th is the anniversary of the establishment of the North Korean regime.
At the Supreme People’s Assembly held on the 8th, North Korea adopted a decree that summarized its nuclear force policy, and released this decree the next day, the day after the establishment of the regime.
Of particular note to this law are the principles and conditions for the use of nuclear weapons.
Let’s take a look at the specifics first.
In a speech to the Supreme People’s Assembly on the day this ordinance was enacted, Chairman Kim Jong-un explained the meaning of enacting the nuclear force policy, stating that they could no longer bargain over their nuclear weapons.
First, he declared that he would not give up his nuclear weapons and that there would be no more denuclearization negotiations.
Let’s take a closer look at the contents of Kim Jong-un’s speech.
The security authorities of the Republic of Korea and the United States held a meeting of the High-Level Extended Deterrence Strategy Council in Washington, DC from last night to this morning in our time, and promised to take an overwhelming and decisive response to the threat of a North Korean nuclear attack.
Let’s take a look at what the two sides discussed at the Korea-U.S. Extended Deterrence Strategy Council meeting, the first in four years and eight months.
President Yoon Seok-yeol will tour the UK, the US and Canada from tomorrow to the 24th.
In particular, on the occasion of attending the UN General Assembly in New York next week, we plan to meet and hold talks with the leaders of the United States and Japan respectively.
Attention is focused on the Korea-Japan summit, which will be held for the first time in two years and nine months.
We will tell you about this.
[앵커]
North Korea also held a large-scale celebration on the establishment day this year, but the highlight was the declaration of the enactment of the nuclear force policy.
Experts are analyzing the situation in which North Korea can launch a preemptive strike with nuclear weapons at any time if it considers that it poses any threat to its own regime according to the ‘nuclear policy laws’ enacted this time.
[기자]
Yes, the ‘Nuclear Force Policy Act’, which North Korea released on the day of the establishment of the regime on the 9th, contains 11 articles, which specifically specify the mission and composition of the nuclear force, command and control, principles and conditions for using nuclear weapons, and maintenance and management. specified.
First of all, in the preface to the Act, they claimed to be ‘responsible nuclear weapons states’.
Specifically, from the command and control clause, North Korea’s nuclear force is subject to the sole command of Chairman Kim Jong-un.
In addition, the Chairman of the State Affairs Commission has all the decision-making powers, including the authority to order the use of nuclear weapons, and an organization called the National Nuclear Forces Command is to assist the Chairman of the State Council in making nuclear-related decisions.
In particular, he made it clear that if the command of the nuclear force centered on Kim Jong-un is attacked, the origin of the provocation and the nuclear strike on the enemy command will be automatically and immediately.
The ‘Usage Principle’ states that “non-nuclear countries will not use nuclear weapons against this country unless they engage in aggression or aggression against North Korea by colluding with other nuclear-armed states.”
In other words, if it becomes a threat to them, it means that they will carry out a nuclear attack even if they are non-nuclear countries.
In other words, it is a clear warning message that South Korea, which does not have nuclear weapons, will become a target of their nuclear strike if they join forces with the United States, a nuclear weapons state, to take military action against North Korea.
The most important part of this law is the ‘condition of use’ clause.
It specified in what cases a nuclear attack would be carried out.
First, if a country wants to attack North Korea with other weapons as well as nuclear weapons, it will use nuclear weapons first.
Even if an actual attack did not occur, they claim that they will use nuclear weapons just by their judgment that “an enemy attack is imminent”.
The second clause is similar.
He said that he would use nuclear weapons even if he determined that an attack on the leadership, including Kim Jong-un, was expected.
It is said that if the US military shows signs of a ‘beheading operation’ to eliminate Kim Jong-un, it will first launch a nuclear attack.
The third clause provides for the use of nuclear weapons if it determines that a military attack on important strategic targets has been carried out or is imminent.
This means that even if there are signs of a ‘tweezers attack’ on dams or power plants, especially nuclear-related facilities, we will strike a nuclear preemptive strike.
Fourth, nuclear weapons are said to be used when operationally necessary to prevent the escalation and prolongation of war and seize the initiative in war.
As in Ukraine, if the war is prolonged, we will use nuclear weapons to end the war quickly.
Fifth, he said that nuclear weapons can be used even in the event of a catastrophic crisis for the existence of the state and the life and safety of the people.
In a nutshell, whether it is an all-out war, a local war, an accidental military conflict, or that North Korea will face serious economic difficulties due to international sanctions against North Korea, or if they judge that a “crisis has caused” by their standards, they can use nuclear weapons at any time. I’m talking about wielding it.
[앵커]
From what I’ve heard, they are claiming to use nuclear weapons at any time according to the judgment and decision of the North Korean authorities.
That is why there is talk of an offensive and threatening ‘nuclear doctrine’.
Chairman Kim Jong-un gave meaning to the enactment of the nuclear force policy as a ‘historical cause’ and said that there would be no more negotiations on denuclearization.
[기자]
Yes, Chairman Kim Jong-un spent a lot of time emphasizing the significance of enacting a nuclear force policy in his address to the Supreme People’s Assembly.
Listen to Kim Jong-un’s speech.
“By enacting the nuclear force policy into law, our country’s status as a nuclear weapons state has become irreversible. There is absolutely no nuclear abandonment or denuclearization in the first place, and there is no negotiation for it, no bargaining for it in the process. Nuclear is our national prestige, national body, absolute power of the republic, and great pride of the Korean people. there is.”
As you may have heard, the legislation has made the status of a ‘nuclear state’ irreversible.
In particular, he nailed that there is no denuclearization and no denuclearization negotiations, saying that there is no more bargaining over North Korea’s nuclear weapons because it is stipulated by law.
In other words, no matter how supreme the leader is, he is breaking the law if he engages in denuclearization negotiations with the United States.
In other words, as long as this ordinance is maintained, no one can engage in denuclearization negotiations.
In his speech, Kim Jong-un insisted that the US purpose is to get North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons and ultimately to bring down the North Korean regime, and that’s why he stressed that it can never give up its nuclear weapons.
At the same time, while the United States induces North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons through sanctions against North Korea, it is a misjudgment and a miscalculation and shouted out loud, “Sanctions should be made for a hundred days, a thousand days, ten years, a hundred years.”
Kim Jong-un further expressed his will to continue developing nuclear weapons.
In particular, he ordered the expansion of the tactical nuclear operating space and the realization of diversification of application means at a higher level.
In other words, it means to constantly develop tactical nuclear weapons to strike the southern region of the Korean Peninsula and to create more means of delivery, which is an outright nuclear threat to South Korea.
It is questionable whether it is realistically justified for the ROK and US authorities to continue to set the goal of North Korea policy as ‘the denuclearization of North Korea’ in a situation where North Korea has declared ‘non-denuclearization’ in its own law.
[앵커]
In the context of North Korea’s aggressive nuclear threat, senior officials from South Korea and the United States held an extended deterrence strategy meeting in the United States.
This is the extended deterrence strategy council meeting that has been held in a long time.
What discussions were there?
[기자]
The High-Level Extended Deterrence Strategy Council meeting held at the State Department in Washington, DC, was attended by First Vice Foreign Minister Cho Hyun-dong and Vice Minister of Defense Shin Beom-cheol on the Korean side, and Bonnie Jenkins, Assistant Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security, and Colin Karl, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Policy, from the U.S. side.
This consultative body is a consultative body that comprehensively discusses policy and strategic issues to strengthen stability in the Indo-Pacific region, including defense on the Korean Peninsula.
It was restarted after 4 years and 8 months since the second meeting in January 2018.
This meeting was held right after North Korea launched an aggressive nuclear threat to South Korea and the United States while declaring its nuclear force policy into law.
In fact, in a joint statement released after the meeting, the two sides expressed “serious concerns about North Korea’s sending of escalating messages about its use of nuclear weapons, including the adoption of a new ‘nuclear policy law’ by North Korea.”
Specifically, the ROK and the U.S. warned that any nuclear attack from North Korea would face an overwhelming and decisive response, and in particular, the U.S. promised to defend South Korea by mobilizing all its military forces, including not only the nuclear umbrella, but also cutting-edge non-nuclear forces such as space and cyberspace. .
Let’s hear directly from Deputy Defense Minister Shin Beom-cheol on this matter.
“We have confirmed that if North Korea uses nuclear weapons, it will face an overwhelming and decisive response regardless of its might. The US side has promised to strengthen cooperation with the ROK on the timely and efficient deployment of strategic assets in the region, and the ROK and the US will expand under the combined defense system. We discussed various ways to increase the enforcement of deterrence. In particular, the United States has committed to providing extended deterrence using all military categories, including advanced non-nuclear capabilities such as space and cyber.”
To further elaborate on the important issues discussed at the meeting, the US said that it would strengthen cooperation with South Korea to ensure the timely and effective deployment and operation of strategic assets in the region continues.
He also explained that the US nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan will soon be deployed in the waters of the Korean Peninsula as well as supporting the US promise.
As a result of this meeting, the size and frequency of US strategic assets deployed on the Korean Peninsula is expected to expand further in the future.
The ROK and the United States also agreed to hold the Extended Deterrence Means Training (TTX), a military response map suitable for each stage of the North Korean nuclear threat, within this year.
The two countries are also in the process of revising the ROK-U.S. customized deterrence strategy (TDS) in response to North Korea’s threat of developing tactical nuclear weapons and preemptive strike.
The two sides agreed to hold an annual high-level extended deterrence strategy consultative body meeting and hold a working-level meeting in the first half of next year to prepare for the next meeting.
[앵커]
It seems meaningful that the United States promised to mobilize all its military assets to defend Korea in case of emergency.
This time, we are going to look at President Yun Seok-yeol’s diplomatic activities, but it is said that the Korea-US summit and the Korea-Japan summit will be held in the wake of next week’s UN General Assembly, right?
[기자]
Yes, Kim Tae-hyo, first deputy director of the National Security Office, introduced the detailed schedule of President Yoon’s visit to Britain, the United States and Canada, which will be held from tomorrow to the 24th, at a briefing on Thursday.
In particular, Deputy Director Kim said, “We are also promoting bilateral talks with the leaders of major countries attending the UN General Assembly on the 20th and 21st.
A high-ranking official at the presidential office said that the U.S. and Japan had reached an early agreement to hold a bilateral summit, but explained that due to the tight schedule, the meeting would be held face-to-face for about 30 minutes.
The Korea-Japan summit is the first under the Yun Seok-yeol administration.
It has been two years and nine months since then-President Moon Jae-in and then Prime Minister Shinzo Abe held bilateral talks on the occasion of the Korea-China-Japan summit held in Chengdu, China in December 2019.
President Yun and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida met several times at the NATO summit in Spain at the end of June, but Japan’s passive attitude prevented an official bilateral meeting.
A high-ranking official in the presidential office said, “It would be good to meet this time in relation to the Korea-Japan summit,” he said.
The US-Korea summit is the first in about four months since US President Joe Biden and President Yoon met in Seoul in May.
At this summit, attention is paid to whether the issue of the US Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which is concerned about the disadvantages of Korean electric vehicles, will be on the agenda.
[앵커]
Next week, President Yoon will attend the UN General Assembly for the first time, and it remains to be seen what will be included in the UN stage speech.
A message urging North Korea to denuclearize is also expected.
In particular, it is expected that a lot of attention will be paid to the Korea-US summit or the first Korea-Japan summit to be held under the current administration.
We’ll discuss this in next week’s talk.
Reporter Ji, I’ll see you next week.
[기자]
Yes, well done.
Yonhap News TV Article Inquiries and Reports: KakaoTalk/Line jebo23
Report on KakaoTalk okjebo
<저작권자(c) 연합뉴스,
Unauthorized reproduction-redistribution prohibited>
2022/09/17 18:58 Send