Presidential Office on Military Accountability Debate: "Yoon Will Make a Comprehensive Judgment"

Criticism of Security Failure: "No-Fly Zone and Security Zone Are Different"
Regarding Loudspeaker Resumption Inspection: "Provocation and Suspension of Military Agreement Are Prerequisites"

[Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan] On the 6th, the Presidential Office stated regarding the calls for accountability of the military authorities in response to North Korean drones, "Once the inspection results come out, President Yoon Suk-yeol will make a comprehensive judgment." Depending on the investigation results, there is a high possibility that President Yoon will initiate personnel reshuffling.

A Presidential Office official met with reporters at the Yongsan Presidential Office building in the afternoon and, when asked about the growing public demand for accountability of the military command, said, "No-fly zones and security zones are completely different," adding, "Nevertheless, regarding military personnel matters, the President will comprehensively review the situation and make a judgment."

When asked about "how far the military authorities' internal inspection has progressed," the official refrained from elaborating, saying, "It is difficult to provide more specific details about the inspection."

Regarding some reports that the government has begun reviewing the resumption of loudspeaker broadcasts toward North Korea, the Presidential Office official briefly summarized the position. The official said, "The President's directive was that if North Korea again crosses the Military Demarcation Line to provoke, the response should be overwhelming beyond proportional retaliation, and at the same time, to consider suspending the effectiveness of the September 19 Military Agreement," adding, "I mentioned two premises: one is North Korea's provocation, and the other is the suspension of the effectiveness of the September 19 Military Agreement. Within these two premises, the resumption of loudspeaker broadcasts toward North Korea is the next step that can be shown."

Regarding Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Byung-joo's suggestion, based on flight trajectory data reported by the Joint Chiefs of Staff, that drones could have intruded as far as Jongno, Dongdaemun, Gwangjin, and Namsan areas, the official said, "Lawmaker Kim claims it is an estimate, but then was it appropriate for him to disclose it to the media without a definite judgment himself?" and added, "Therefore, we raised suspicions that it is either a lie or that he received information." A senior Presidential Office official said in a briefing the previous day that "the authorities are questioning the source of the data, wondering where Lawmaker Kim obtained information that neither the Ministry of National Defense nor the Joint Chiefs of Staff knows about."