This article was originally published by Radio Free Asia and is reprinted with permission.
South Korea’s President emphasized the importance of military strength in the face of escalating nuclear threats from Pyongyang, which has declared its intention for “conquering the entire southern territory” – a metaphorical reference for South Korea.
In a new year message sent to the South Korean military on Tuesday, its President Yoon Suk Yeol urged it to maintain a strong posture amid the intensifying North Korea threat.
“Our military has made every effort to protect the lives and safety of our citizens from North Korea’s relentless provocations and threats, even under challenging conditions,” Yoon said, according to South Korea’s defense ministry.
Yoon also said defense capability was the foundation for expanding the value of freedom and propelling the prosperous economy, adding that military strength is essential for safeguarding the protection of South Korea’ territories and regional security.
Yoon’s remarks come a day after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s fresh warning to the South.
Kim said that military conflicts in the Korean peninsula may “arise at any moment,” as cited by the North’s state-run Korean Central News Agency on Monday.
KCNA also reported that North Korea’s Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui, along with the head of the United Front Department Ri Son Gwon, hosted a meeting to discuss ways to deliver Kim’s orders to restructure organizations involved in South Korean affairs.
Similar threat was also made on Sunday as Kim emphasized that the inter-Korean relationship has completely solidified into one of hostility, indicating that he no longer views the South as the same Koreans, but as two belligerent states in a state of war.
“Reflecting on the long history of inter-Korean relations, our conclusion is that unification can never be achieved with South Korea, which has adopted policies of ‘unification by absorption’ and ‘systematic unification’ that starkly contrast with our nation’s unification policy based on the principles of one people, one state, two systems,” said Kim as North Korea wrapped up its Central Committee Plenary Meeting of the Workers’ Party Korea Saturday.
In the same speech, Kim also urged Pyongyang to prepare for the possibility of “conquering the entire southern territory” – an apparent reference to South Korea – calling on the military to be ready to mobilize “all physical means and capabilities, including nuclear forces, in response to any potential nuclear crisis that may arise.”
The inter-Korean tension is expected to escalate on the global stage in the new year, with issues related to North Korea likely to be more frequently addressed in international forums such as the U.N. Security Council.
Both South Korea and Japan began their two-year term as a non-permanent member of the UNSC in New York from Sunday – marking the next two years a rare alignment of the United States, South Korea and Japan all being members of the same organ, with potential and frequent coordination on curbing North Korea’s military ambitions.
The U.S., South Korea and Japan, for instance, have long attempted to bring North Korean human rights issues to the UNSC’s agenda, but these efforts have been opposed by China and Russia.
