"Claims of South Korean Drone Infiltration Should Be Ignored"
Xi Jinping's Visit to South Korea Unlikely This Year
Shin Won-sik, Director of the National Security Office, stated on the 13th, "If North Korea does not seem determined to commit suicide, it will not be able to start a war," adding, "Whether North Korea starts a war depends not on North Korea's mindset but on our will and posture."
On the same day, appearing on KBS1's Sunday Diagnosis, Director Shin emphasized, "The possibility of North Korea starting a war has always existed since the Korean War in 1950," and added, "It is important for our people to unite in efforts to ensure North Korea cannot do so and has no chance of winning."
Regarding a recent article in the American foreign affairs magazine Foreign Policy, which stated that the possibility of war on the Korean Peninsula has reached its peak since the Korean War in 1950, Director Shin said, "Traditionally, the key factors are whether North Korea is sufficiently prepared for war, whether South Korea maintains integrated capabilities to properly respond to North Korea's war, and whether the ROK-US alliance is sound." He added, "Currently, the ROK-US alliance is sound, and South Korea is strong as an advanced country."
Director Shin explained, "North Korea has been unusually hypersensitive since our Armed Forces Day ceremony on the 1st," and said, "Just before that, the Hezbollah leader was killed by Israel's bunker buster (special bomb), but the 'Hyunmoo-5' missile has more than ten times that power, so Kim Jong-un must have felt a chilling fear."
He also evaluated, "North Korean citizens are poor and have little to lose, but Kim Jong-un, who controls all decision-making in North Korea, is the richest and most powerful authority on Earth," adding, "In other words, as the one who has the most to lose, he is the most fearful, so Kim Jong-un himself would feel much more terror from our precise high-power weapons."
Shin Won-sik: "We Must Have the Capability to Safely Remove Kim Jong-un"
Director Shin stated, "North Korea is a dynastic state different from a normal country, and North Korean citizens are brainwashed to defend their leader with a total war spirit," adding, "We must have the capability to safely remove Kim Jong-un." Regarding the recently established Strategic Command, he said, "The forces under the Strategic Command perform that role," and elaborated, "When general strategic deterrence is combined with strategies targeting the North Korean leadership, tailored to the characteristics of the dynastic state of North Korea, complete deterrence to restrain North Korea's actions can be established."
Regarding North Korea's claim of South Korean drones infiltrating Pyongyang airspace, Director Shin said, "The very act of confirming it will cause internal conflicts that North Korea desires," and added, "From experience, the best and most correct answer is to ignore it."
On reports that North Korean military officers were among those killed by Ukrainian missile attacks in Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine, Director Shin said, "It is not appropriate to confirm specifically, but I believe the possibility is open."
Regarding Russia, Director Shin criticized, "As a permanent member of the UN Security Council and the last guardian of world peace, Russia's direct illegal invasion of Ukraine, violation of Security Council resolutions it signed, and arms trade with North Korea are unacceptable acts that cannot be justified by any words," adding, "Russia should properly fulfill its role as a permanent member, but it is regrettable that it seems to be becoming like the rogue criminal state North Korea."
"The ROK-China Relationship and the ROK-US Alliance Are Not Inversely Proportional but Directly Proportional"
When asked about the timing of Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to South Korea, Director Shin said, "Since communication is going smoothly at the level of heads of state and ministers between the two countries, I believe it will happen eventually," but added, "It is somewhat difficult to specify the timing, and it is unlikely to happen within this year."
He continued, "Regarding the ROK-China relationship, the public thinks the ROK-China relationship and the ROK-US alliance are inversely proportional, but in fact, they are directly proportional," and said, "Former President Moon Jae-in visited China several times, but President Xi Jinping did not come, and we were somewhat neglected in various ways." Director Shin emphasized, "Rather, because we respond to China on a principled basis, China is also treating us on a principled basis, and the relationship is gradually improving. I hope people understand this fact."
He added, "While it is important whether and when President Xi visits South Korea, his visit should contribute to the healthy development of the ROK-China relationship."
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