Public Questioning at the National Assembly Steering Committee
Kim: "Threat Recognition Does Not Require NSC Meeting"
[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jun-yi] At the full meeting of the National Assembly Steering Committee held on the 17th, the opposition party launched a focused offensive against Kim Seong-han, Director of the National Security Office of the Presidential Office, regarding the failure to convene the National Security Council (NSC) after North Korea's missile provocation on the 10th, criticizing the response as complacent.
On the same day, Director Kim responded to a question from Kim Byung-joo, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, who said, "The Yoon Seok-yeol administration did not actually convene the NSC despite North Korea's provocation," by stating, "It is not the case that a threat is recognized only when the NSC is convened."
When Representative Kim directly asked, "This is the first time such a provocation (three shots fired at 20-second intervals) has occurred; isn't this a complacent attitude?" Director Kim replied, "It is not a complacent attitude."
He continued, "There was a similar incident early in the Moon Jae-in administration. Four days after taking office, there was one ballistic missile launch, and the NSC was convened," to which he added, "The NSC itself is not what's important; I believe that practical measures, such as establishing and strengthening our readiness posture, are more important."
When Representative Kim asked, "How did the Presidential Office respond?" he answered, "We responded through a security situation review meeting chaired by the Director of the National Security Office." When Representative Kim said, "It is more of an internal meeting rather than having a legal basis," Director Kim acknowledged, "That is correct."
When asked, "What was the conclusion of the meeting?" he replied, "The conclusion was to condemn the situation, maintain the military readiness posture that has been taken so far, and deplore the dual behavior shown by North Korea."
Additionally, when Representative Jeon Bong-min of the People Power Party asked, "How are you contacting North Korea?" Director Kim said, "North Korea has not responded yet," and added, "We are exploring various alternatives, including through international organizations."
In response to a question from Song Eon-seok of the same party about the reasons for convening the NSC, he stated, "I believe the NSC chaired by the President should be convened when the President needs to give direct instructions from a security perspective."
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