Shin Won-sik: "Trilateral Summit Among South Korea, US, and Japan Within the Year... Not Wise to Respond to Every North Korean Drone Claim"

Trilateral Summit of South Korea, US, and Japan to be Held Separately Around Year-End After APEC
"North Korea Seems Unable to Establish Alternative Logic for Unification"

Shin Won-sik, Director of the National Security Office
Photo by Yonhap News

Shin Won-sik, Director of the National Security Office at the Presidential Office, stated on the 12th that they are discussing holding a separate Korea-US-Japan summit around the end of this year.

Director Shin appeared on TV Chosun that day and said, "There are the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit and the Group of Twenty (G20) meetings in mid-November," adding, "The Korea-US-Japan summit could be held in conjunction with these multilateral meetings or separately, but for now, holding it separately is being discussed."

He also explained, "If the Korea-US-Japan summit is held, it would be around the end of the year after APEC and G20," and "While it is convenient to hold it during multilateral meetings, since there is limited time and sufficient discussion is difficult, holding it separately is being discussed," further stating, "We are in the process of reaching an agreement so that it does not extend into the next year."

Regarding North Korea's claim that our unmanned aerial vehicle infiltrated Pyongyang, Director Shin said, "Just because North Korea raises the issue does not mean we should confirm it, as that would be falling into what North Korea wants," adding, "Due to polarization in our society, the confirmation process has become a debate, and there are many internal issues that cause problems among ourselves. It is not wise to respond to every mention by North Korea about provocations and threats."

In response to views that the drone's large size and a round-trip 400km designated route require technology suggesting it is military, he said, "Regarding the use of drones, both military and commercial use have greatly expanded and are operated in various ways, so it is difficult to conclude that such capability is only available to the military."

On the assessment that it is unusual for North Korea to report this through domestic media, Director Shin explained, "Paradoxically, North Korea's regime stabilizes only when there is a threat to the regime," adding, "North Korea has maintained its rule by constantly using fear as if there is a regime threat, but recently, due to the inflow of Korean Wave and others, especially the MZ generation among North Korean residents, have started to disbelieve the external regime threat itself."

He added, "I think they disclosed this today based on a strategic judgment that the benefit of exploiting the opportunity of a regime threat is greater than the damage of admitting that the Pyongyang air defense network was breached."

Regarding the possibility that North Korea amended its constitution to include Kim Jong-un's mention of 'hostile relations between two states,' Director Shin said, "It seems North Korea has not yet prepared a logic to replace the concepts of nation and unification," and added, "It is appropriate to evaluate that they have, for now, postponed it."