Minister Shin Won-sik: "If provoked by suspension of military agreement, we will retaliate"

National Assembly Defense Committee Full Meeting Opening Remarks: "North Korea's Reconnaissance Satellite Launch Violates Security Council"

Defense Minister Shin Won-sik stated on the 23rd, "If North Korea provokes under the pretext of suspending the effectiveness of the September 19 Inter-Korean Military Agreement, we will immediately, strongly, and relentlessly retaliate."

Defense Minister Shin Won-sik is giving a briefing on current issues at the National Defense Committee plenary session held at the National Assembly on the 23rd. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

Minister Shin made these remarks during his opening address at the National Assembly's National Defense Committee plenary session, responding to North Korea's military reconnaissance satellite launch on the 21st by announcing partial suspension measures on the September 19 Military Agreement. He pointed out that North Korea's reconnaissance satellite launch was "a clear violation of the UN Security Council resolutions and a serious provocation not only to the Korean Peninsula but also to the international community," adding that "it once again demonstrated that there is no intention to comply with the September 19 Military Agreement." He continued, "While our military's surveillance and reconnaissance are restricted, North Korea is enhancing its surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities against us through its military reconnaissance satellite," emphasizing, "Therefore, the partial suspension of the September 19 Military Agreement is an essential measure to protect the lives and safety of our people."

Minister Shin added, "Going forward, our military will restore aerial surveillance and reconnaissance activities against North Korea to more firmly protect the Republic of Korea."

On the same day, the Ministry of National Defense provided an urgent briefing to the National Defense Committee regarding North Korea's reconnaissance satellite launch and our military's response measures. The Ministry reported, "In coordination with the United States, we are conducting additional analysis on whether the satellite launched by North Korea is functioning normally after entering orbit." Regarding North Korea's intention behind the reconnaissance satellite launch, the Ministry analyzed, "Ahead of the 9th Central Committee Plenary Meeting scheduled for the end of next month, which will review the third year of the 8th Party Congress held in January 2022, North Korea intends to publicize the achievement of strategic weapons development tasks and the acquisition of surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities as defense sector accomplishments."

Furthermore, the Ministry of National Defense diagnosed that North Korea aims to emphasize the importance of the defense sector by launching the reconnaissance satellite amid insufficient achievements in the livelihood and economic sectors, thereby boosting residents' pride, alleviating accumulated grievances, and fostering internal unity.

As response measures by our military to North Korea's reconnaissance satellite launch, the Ministry of National Defense cited ▲ joint response utilizing immediately available ROK-US combined forces ▲ ROK-US joint detection and tracking ▲ search and recovery of launch vehicle debris.

The Ministry reported plans to conduct ROK-US combined exercises involving the already deployed U.S. aircraft carrier strike group. Previously, the U.S. Navy nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson docked at Busan Port on the 21st. The Carl Vinson is expected to participate in ROK-US and ROK-US-Japan maritime combined exercises this weekend.

The Ministry of National Defense stated that the three countries?South Korea, the United States, and Japan?have closely shared information following North Korea's reconnaissance satellite launch. Minister Shin held coordination calls with Philip Goldberg, U.S. Ambassador to South Korea; Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Kim Seung-gyeom spoke with Paul LaCamera, Commander of the ROK-US Combined Forces Command; and Heo Tae-geun, Director of the Defense Policy Office at the Ministry of National Defense, communicated with Koji Kano, Director of the Defense Policy Bureau at Japan's Ministry of Defense.