National Defense Committee Debates Inter-Korean Severance and North Korea Policy [2024 National Audit]

Hang Kiho "North Korea's Measures Are for Internal Cohesion"
Heo Young "Yoon Administration Provokes Possibility of North Korean Provocations"

On the 10th, during the National Assembly's defense committee audit targeting the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the ruling and opposition parties clashed over the Yoon Suk-yeol administration's North Korea policy.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Han Ki-ho, a member of the People Power Party, stated at the defense committee audit held at the Joint Chiefs of Staff in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, that recent North Korean measures to sever inter-Korean ties are aimed at internal consolidation, and predicted, "Going forward, North Korea will cause a weakening of South Korea's security and provoke internal conflicts." Han also urged a tough response to North Korea, saying, "Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu completely subdued Hamas and Hezbollah, which led Hezbollah to call for a ceasefire."

Kim Myung-soo, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, revealed that North Korea effectively blocked the Gyeongui Line road and railway connecting the two Koreas in August. Currently, there are four routes connecting the two Koreas: National Road No. 1 and railway on the Gyeongui Line, National Road No. 7 and railway on the Donghae Line, and routes through Hwaseolmari Hill and the JSA Panmunjom. The Joint Chiefs also released surveillance and reconnaissance photos near the Military Demarcation Line (MDL). The photos showed ▲leaf mines scattered on the Gyeongui Line road (November 28, 2023) ▲removal of rails and sleepers on the Donghae Line railway (May 28) ▲dismantling of the Gyeongui Line train storage facility (August 6).

On the other hand, Choo Mi-ae of the Democratic Party criticized, "The Yoon Suk-yeol administration often says that peace can only be maintained by preparing for war," adding, "Experts on the Korean Peninsula in the United States say, 'The risk of the Korean War is higher than ever,' and 'The Korean Peninsula looks more unstable than ever.' This is evidence that the Yoon administration's stance is wrong."

Democratic Party member Heo Young also expressed concerns about the Yoon administration's moves to strengthen trilateral cooperation among South Korea, the U.S., and Japan, including the signing of the Trilateral Security Cooperation Framework (TSCF), saying, "While the interests of the U.S. and Japan have been maximized, our interests are practically nonexistent. Our country is placed on the front line to check North Korea, China, and Russia," and warned, "If (South Korea-U.S.-Japan cooperation) becomes institutionalized and joint exercises are conducted, it will further provoke North Korea's possibility of war provocations."

The ruling and opposition parties also clashed over allegations of fabrication regarding the Ministry of National Defense's December 2018 announcement of the "complete destruction of North Korea's frontline guard posts (GP) underground facilities."

Democratic Party member Kim Byung-joo criticized the ruling party's claim that the actual destruction of North Korea's frontline guard posts (GP), which were all destroyed under the September 19, 2018 inter-Korean military agreement, had not been confirmed, calling it "nitpicking," and argued, "According to the firepower manual standards, a 30% damage rate counts as destruction. The North Korean GPs at the time were sufficiently destroyed." However, Im Jong-deuk of the People Power Party rebutted, saying, "Among those who participated in verifying the GP destruction, there were people who raised issues."