N. Korean military releases statement considering taking action in disarmed border region
- 4 years ago
북한군 "남북합의로 비무장화 지역 요새화"…대남 삐라살포 예고
The North Korean military has said it's considering plans to reenter a border zone that was previously disarmed under the Inter-Korean Comprehensive Military Agreement... as well as spreading propaganda leaflets... toward the south.
This,… as the regime continues to raise tensions on the Korean Peninsula, after Kim Yo-jong, the sister of the North’s leader Kim Jong-un, threatened to take military action against its ‘enemy.’
For more on the latest aggression by the regime, we connect to Kim Ji-yeon at Seoul's defense ministry.
Ji-yeon, what's the response from the South Korean military?
Seoul's defense ministry said the South Korean military is maintaining readiness in case of any provocation... and that the North should stick to the principles laid out in Inter-Korean Comprehensive Military Agreement and refrain from raising tensions along the border.
This comes as the General Staff of the Korean People's Army,... which is considered the North's Joint Chiefs of Staff, made a public statement on the North's Korean Central News Agency... in which it threatened to turn the front line into a fortress and further heighten military vigilance against South Korea.
This follows a series of provocative statements issued several days ago by Kim Yo-jong... that the military would be in charge of the next step in the North's response to the distribution of anti-Pyeongyang propaganda leaflets by South Korean activists.
South Korean media outlets project the border zone to mean either the North's city of Gaeseong, where the inter-Korean industrial complex, shut down in 2016, is situated... or the area near Mount Kumgang... where inter-Korean tour programs had taken place until 2008.
A military expert told me that it seems North Korea is trying to nullify or undo some of the achievements of the Inter-Korean Comprehensive Military Agreement... and pressure the South Korean government for economic concessions.
The timing of the statement is considered crucial especially as South Korea has urged the North to refrain from kicking up tensions amid the stalled denuclearization process. What's the motive behind the North's recent message?
Yes, it comes a day after South Korean President Moon Jae-in delivered a message to commemorate the first-ever summit between the leaders of the two Koreas two decades ago.
President Moon had said North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will not turn back on his promise to work on building everlasting peace on the Korean peninsula.
The President had emphasized the need for South Korea to do what it can to facilitate dialogue and inter-Korean cooperation... while still following the international sanctions placed on the regime.
But as seen in the statement released by the North Korean military... it seems Seoul's efforts have done little to lower tensions in the region.
According to a local military expert, the North's provocative statements are aimed at ending the stall in denuclearization talks and lifting
The North Korean military has said it's considering plans to reenter a border zone that was previously disarmed under the Inter-Korean Comprehensive Military Agreement... as well as spreading propaganda leaflets... toward the south.
This,… as the regime continues to raise tensions on the Korean Peninsula, after Kim Yo-jong, the sister of the North’s leader Kim Jong-un, threatened to take military action against its ‘enemy.’
For more on the latest aggression by the regime, we connect to Kim Ji-yeon at Seoul's defense ministry.
Ji-yeon, what's the response from the South Korean military?
Seoul's defense ministry said the South Korean military is maintaining readiness in case of any provocation... and that the North should stick to the principles laid out in Inter-Korean Comprehensive Military Agreement and refrain from raising tensions along the border.
This comes as the General Staff of the Korean People's Army,... which is considered the North's Joint Chiefs of Staff, made a public statement on the North's Korean Central News Agency... in which it threatened to turn the front line into a fortress and further heighten military vigilance against South Korea.
This follows a series of provocative statements issued several days ago by Kim Yo-jong... that the military would be in charge of the next step in the North's response to the distribution of anti-Pyeongyang propaganda leaflets by South Korean activists.
South Korean media outlets project the border zone to mean either the North's city of Gaeseong, where the inter-Korean industrial complex, shut down in 2016, is situated... or the area near Mount Kumgang... where inter-Korean tour programs had taken place until 2008.
A military expert told me that it seems North Korea is trying to nullify or undo some of the achievements of the Inter-Korean Comprehensive Military Agreement... and pressure the South Korean government for economic concessions.
The timing of the statement is considered crucial especially as South Korea has urged the North to refrain from kicking up tensions amid the stalled denuclearization process. What's the motive behind the North's recent message?
Yes, it comes a day after South Korean President Moon Jae-in delivered a message to commemorate the first-ever summit between the leaders of the two Koreas two decades ago.
President Moon had said North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will not turn back on his promise to work on building everlasting peace on the Korean peninsula.
The President had emphasized the need for South Korea to do what it can to facilitate dialogue and inter-Korean cooperation... while still following the international sanctions placed on the regime.
But as seen in the statement released by the North Korean military... it seems Seoul's efforts have done little to lower tensions in the region.
According to a local military expert, the North's provocative statements are aimed at ending the stall in denuclearization talks and lifting