Defense Minister Shin Won-sik: "North Korea's Filth Balloons Are a Low-Level Act... Stop Immediately"

"Possessing Nuclear Weapons Independently Means Not Trusting Our South Korea-US Siblings"
"Expecting a Change in China's Stance for Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula"

Minister of National Defense Shin Won-sik strongly condemned North Korea's 'filth balloon' dispersal in front of defense chiefs from major Indo-Pacific countries.

On the 1st, Minister Shin stated in a speech at the 21st Asia Security Conference (Shangri-La Dialogue) held in Singapore, "A few days ago, North Korea dispersed about 260 filth balloons over our territory under the pretext of responding to the humanitarian balloon launches by our civilian organizations aimed at North Korea," adding, "This is a petty and low-level act unimaginable from a normal country."

On the morning of the 30th, when North Korea launched a large number of short-range ballistic missiles into the East Sea, citizens were watching related news in the waiting room of Seoul Station.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Minister Shin described North Korea's actions as "inhumane and a clear and serious violation of the Armistice Agreement," and said, "We strongly condemn this and urge an immediate halt."

He added, "North Korea is developing various missiles that can be used as nuclear delivery means and has launched missiles 12 times just this year," and "Recently, it claimed to have launched a reconnaissance satellite using ballistic missile technology in violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions."

He continued, "North Korea's reckless nuclear and missile development programs pose an existential threat capable of striking all countries present here and represent a direct challenge to peace in the Indo-Pacific region and the world," pointing out, "The Kim Jong-un regime has been solely focused on nuclear and missile development, making life even harder for North Korean residents who have long suffered from food shortages and economic difficulties."

He also emphasized, "North Korea's human rights issues and nuclear and missile problems all stem from the same root: the continuation of a dictatorship."

Minister Shin also strongly criticized the cooperation between North Korea and Russia. After his speech, responding to questions from the audience, he said, "It is presumed that North Korea exports shells and missiles to Russia and, in return, receives food, fuel, and military technology," adding, "In particular, it is judged that North Korea has intensively received technology related to military reconnaissance satellites, and if this continues, there is a risk of strengthening the North Korean military's conventional forces."

Shin Won-sik, Minister of National Defense, attended the 2nd plenary session of the 21st Asia Security Conference (Shangri-La Dialogue) held at the Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore on the 1st (local time) and delivered a speech on the theme of "South Korea's Role for Peace and Stability on the Korean Peninsula and in the Region."
[Photo by Yonhap News]

He argued that Russia, as a permanent member of the Security Council and supposed guardian of world peace, is receiving weapons from a regime that violates Security Council resolutions, calling it an unimaginable extreme act of self-contradiction and a betrayal of the international community.

Furthermore, he stated, "North Korea will accelerate its military buildup using funds and technology obtained from arms transactions," and "This undermines the authority of the international order and norms and causes conflicts and confrontations; the Russia-North Korea arms trade must be stopped immediately."

Regarding a question about possessing its own nuclear weapons, he replied, "Possessing its own nuclear weapons is premised on not trusting the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and the ROK-US alliance, so it is practically very difficult to adopt."

On questions related to ROK-US security cooperation, he said, "Cooperation between South Korea and Japan is not a choice but a necessity," and "I view South Korea-Japan cooperation positively as they share values and security and economic interests, extending beyond the Indo-Pacific region to the world."

Finally, citing the recent joint statement of the ROK-China-Japan summit where denuclearization was not mentioned, he expressed hope for China’s "progressive change in attitude," and urged China to "make more constructive and active efforts for stability and denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula."