Yoon: "If North Korea Provokes Territorial Re-Invasion, Suspension of 9·19 Agreement Will Be Considered"

Yoon Orders Overwhelming Military Response to North Korea Provocations
Directs Drone Unit Formation and Stealth UAV Production Within the Year

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki-min Lee] President Yoon Suk-yeol instructed the National Security Office on the 4th to consider suspending the effectiveness of the September 19 military agreement if North Korea again commits provocations by invading our territory. He also directed the Ministry of National Defense to establish a joint drone unit performing multipurpose missions such as surveillance, reconnaissance, and electronic warfare within this year, and to prepare a strategy for responding to unmanned aerial vehicles.

President Yoon gave these instructions after receiving a report on our unmanned aerial vehicle response strategy from the National Security Office, Ministry of National Defense, Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Agency for Defense Development (ADD) at the Yongsan Presidential Office that morning, Kim Eun-hye, the chief spokesperson, said in a briefing.

In 2018, during the 3rd Inter-Korean Summit, then-President Moon Jae-in and Kim Jong-un, General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea, signed the September 19 military agreement, which centered on a complete cessation of "all hostile acts" that are sources of military tension and clashes in all domains including land, sea, and air.

However, North Korea's unmanned aerial vehicle violated our airspace on December 26 last year, intruding over areas including Paju and Gimpo in Gyeonggi Province and even over Seoul, prompting both ruling and opposition parties to criticize it as a "violation of the September 19 military agreement."

Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup was instructed to ▲ establish a joint drone unit performing multipurpose missions such as surveillance, reconnaissance, and electronic warfare ▲ build a mass production system for small drones that are difficult to detect within this year ▲ accelerate production of stealth unmanned aerial vehicles within this year ▲ rapidly develop drone killer systems.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Chief Spokesperson Kim explained President Yoon's instructions that day as "ordering the armed forces to have an overwhelming response capability exceeding proportional levels against (North Korea's) provocations," emphasizing "a firm security readiness posture."

He added, "Above all, it is to fulfill the role and responsibility as the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces who protects the lives and safety of the people."

When asked about the background of President Yoon's directive to consider suspending the effectiveness of the September 19 military agreement, a senior official from the Presidential Office said, "Regarding violations of the September 19 agreement, not only unmanned aerial vehicles but also North Korean missile provocations have made violations of the agreement practically routine abnormal days," adding, "Especially due to unmanned aerial vehicle provocations, the Commander-in-Chief ordered a resolute readiness posture so as not to cause anxiety among the people."

He continued, "Suspending the effectiveness is a decision taken as the head of administration and Commander-in-Chief to protect the lives and safety of our people," warning, "We hope there will be no further provocations from North Korea rather than such incidents in the future."

Regarding the question that the drone unit was already established in 2018, he said, "I understand there was no effective training at all," and added, "The multipurpose drone unit we are newly establishing is capable of performing various missions including strikes, electronic warfare, and psychological warfare beyond limited missions."

On discussions about joint planning and execution of U.S. nuclear assets between South Korea and the U.S., the official said, "In South Korea, which does not possess nuclear weapons, we are closely discussing ways to contribute to practical extended deterrence beyond the nuclear umbrella between the two countries," adding, "This is the most advanced and practical measure that we can pursue together with the U.S. against North Korean provocations or the North Korean nuclear threat."