Lee Jae-myung's North Korea Delusion, Trump Will Shatter It

Spokesperson Jang Sung-ho explained that the armistice agreement was agreed upon in July 1950 by the U.S., North Korea, and China, with Admiral Harrison of the U.S. and General Nam Il of North Korea as the main parties. South Korea faced diplomatic limitations at the time, such as being excluded from the defense line when the Acheson Line was announced.

Based on this historical background, Spokesperson Jang Sung-ho emphasized that rather than direct dialogue between the U.S. and North Korea, our government should proactively participate in negotiations with North Korea. He stated that the Korean government should act as the principal actor in the security situation on the Korean Peninsula, rather than the U.S. directly intervening in North Korean issues.

Spokesperson Jang Sung-ho pointed out that former President Donald Trump views North Korea's denuclearization as unlikely and is more likely to use North Korea as a political tool. Specifically, he analyzed that Trump could leverage relations with North Korea for his election strategy ahead of the administrative midterm elections scheduled for November 3.

Spokesperson Jang warned that if the number of House seats changes depending on the election results, Trump could pursue a more independent path in his North Korea policy, which would create uncertainty for the ROK-US alliance. He expressed concern that the political situation within the U.S. could directly affect security on the Korean Peninsula.

Spokesperson Jang Sung-ho stated that the security situation is serious, with North Korean troops having crossed the Military Demarcation Line 20 times in the past month. This surpasses last year's annual total of 17 incursions in just one month, demonstrating a rapid increase in North Korean provocations.

With only about 200 of the 1,292 signposts installed along the Military Demarcation Line remaining, blurring the border, the Joint Chiefs of Staff's directive to 'apply the southern baseline' has been criticized for exacerbating territorial defense vulnerabilities. Despite frequent North Korean incursions, the lack of clear criteria makes effective response difficult, he pointed out.

This change raises concerns that it could lead to a loss of immediate response capability, creating a security vacuum. It was also pointed out that the authority to determine the Military Demarcation Line rests with the UN Command, which limits our military's independent response.

This signifies that, unlike in the past, North Korea is clearly defining South Korea as a hostile target and intensifying military actions.

North Korea continues to conduct provocations, exploiting vulnerabilities such as blind spots in thermal observation devices (TOD) to infiltrate the Military Demarcation Line. Spokesperson Jang raised concerns about potential security gaps that could arise during the transfer of wartime operational control in such a situation, assessing that the current security posture makes it difficult to effectively respond to threats.

Spokesperson Jang Sung-ho explained that the 'attack first, report later' principle, established by then-Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin and National Security Advisor during the Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye administrations, was intended for immediate response to North Korean attacks, such as the Yeonpyeong Island shelling. At that time, immediate counterattack was prioritized over reporting and evaluating the situation during North Korean provocations.

However, the current military is being criticized for contrasting with past principles by focusing on situation reporting and evaluation rather than immediate response during North Korean provocations. Spokesperson Jang pointed out the problem with the military's announcement that merely describes North Korea's incursions across the Military Demarcation Line as 'work activities,' criticizing a tendency to downplay the security crisis.

He added that such announcements by military authorities could fail to properly inform the public about the North Korean threat, instill a complacent perception, and undermine vigilance against actual provocations.