[Summary] Ministry of National Defense "Concerns over advance notice of military action plan... Consequences if military action occurs"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu Reporter] On the 17th, Jeon Dong-jin, Chief of Operations at the Joint Chiefs of Staff, held an emergency briefing at the Ministry of National Defense building in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, stating, "Our military expresses deep concern over the announcement by the North Korean General Staff today that they will ratify various military action plans that directly contradict past inter-Korean agreements, including the 2018 'Panmunjom Declaration' and the 'September 19 Military Agreement.'"

He continued, "This measure is an action that instantly nullifies the efforts and achievements that both Koreas have jointly made over the past 20 years to develop inter-Korean relations and maintain peace on the Korean Peninsula. Should it be put into actual practice, the North will inevitably pay the price for it," he warned.

Jeon added, "Regarding the current security situation, our military is closely monitoring North Korean military movements 24 hours a day, maintaining a firm military readiness posture, and will continue efforts to prevent military escalation through stable situation management."

With North Korea officially declaring the redeployment of military units to the Kaesong Industrial Complex and the Mount Kumgang tourism zone, it is expected that units and equipment will be fully repositioned. Since Kaesong and Mount Kumgang were key military strategic points on the western and eastern fronts respectively, the redeployed North Korean units and equipment will significantly impact the South Korean military's response.

The North Korean General Staff announced that as part of their military action plan against the South, "regimental-level units and necessary firepower detachments tasked with defending the areas where the sovereignty of the Republic is exercised?the Mount Kumgang tourism zone and the Kaesong Industrial Complex?will be deployed."

Military officials and experts predict that artillery and armored units will likely be stationed in Kaesong and Mount Kumgang. The 170mm self-propelled artillery (with a range of 54 km) and 240mm multiple rocket launcher units (with a range exceeding 60 km) are primarily identified. The 170mm self-propelled artillery can fire two rounds per minute, and the 240mm multiple rocket launcher can fire about 40 rounds per minute, making them weapons that threaten the Seoul metropolitan area. Since the vehicles carry 12 launch tubes, they are advantageous for 'hit-and-run' surprise attacks. Before the construction of the Kaesong Industrial Complex in December 2003, North Korea had deployed the 6th Division, 64th Division, and 62nd Artillery Brigade of the 2nd Corps in the Kaesong and Panmun-eup Bongdong-ri areas. The 62nd Artillery Brigade was armed with 170mm self-propelled artillery and 240mm multiple rocket launchers.

Near Jangjeon Port in the Mount Kumgang tourism zone, a naval unit operating submarines (midget submarines) is expected to be redeployed. Before the suspension of tourism, Jangjeon Port in Goseong-gun, Gangwon Province, where South Korean tourist ships docked, had a midget submarine base of about 70 tons. A passage for the submarines was made by cutting through the coastal cliffs, and a large concrete entrance door was installed. Until before 2003, submarines used this base, but it was closed as the Mount Kumgang tourism special zone expanded. On the mid-slope of the mountains surrounding Jangjeon Port, there is a 240mm multiple rocket launcher unit.

As North Korea's provocations rapidly escalate, the military has decided to more than double its surveillance and reconnaissance efforts. Our military plans to simultaneously utilize reconnaissance aircraft such as the Kumgang and Baekdu (RC-800) and the Saemae (RF-16). The RF-16, nicknamed 'Saemae,' flies over the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) and the Northern Limit Line (NLL) to collect video intelligence related to North Korean forces. Normally, the Saemae reconnaissance aircraft flies once a day, but after the liaison office was blown up on the 16th, the emergency standby team was deployed, increasing flights to twice a day. However, since it takes a long time to analyze the footage, plans are in place to increase the number of flights of the Kumgang and Baekdu (RC-800) reconnaissance aircraft. The Baekdu reconnaissance aircraft, upgraded in 2017, can detect North Korea's electronic intelligence (Elint) and communications intelligence (Comint), capturing radar operations and the content of wired and wireless communications.