Government Draws Line at 'Dispatch of Troops' and Emphasizes 'Deployment' [Yang Nak-gyu's Defence Club]

Minister Kim Yong-hyun: "No Consideration of Troop Dispatch at All"
"Monitoring Team and Battle Analysis Team Are Necessary"

The government drew a clear line by stating that it "does not consider troop dispatch at all" while sending personnel to Ukraine. According to Article 60, Paragraph 2 of the Constitution, if the government intends to dispatch troops to Ukraine, it must obtain the consent of the National Assembly. It appears that the government emphasized that dispatching personnel and sending troops have different meanings and missions.

On the 30th (local time), at the U.S. Department of Defense (Washington D.C.), Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun (left in the photo) met with U.S. Secretary of Defense Austin (right in the photo) during the 56th Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) between Korea and the U.S. Photo by Ministry of National Defense

On the 30th (local time), Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun stated regarding the government's response to North Korea dispatching troops to Russia, which invaded Ukraine, "I clearly say that (our military) troop dispatch is not considered at all," adding, "Besides troop dispatch, monitoring teams or war situation analysis teams are essential parts that the military or government must prepare for any emergency situations that may arise in the future."

Minister Kim: "We will set the basic policy upon return"

Minister Kim, who is visiting the United States to attend the Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) between South Korea and the U.S., said at a press briefing held at the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Washington D.C. that "the current government delegation is collecting information at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and is also assessing the war situation in Ukraine," adding, "Once the delegation returns, we will compile the information gathered from NATO and the various data collected on the ground in Ukraine to establish the government's basic policy."

He continued, "Since North Korean troops are participating in the Ukraine war, we need to monitor their movements, and there are several new aspects of warfare, such as drone warfare," adding, "Because Russia's weapon systems are linked with North Korea's weapon systems, analyzing these and preparing properly is necessary to respond to future situations. This will be useful data to protect the safety of our people and the free Republic of Korea."

"Small-scale troop dispatches are at the minister's discretion"

When asked whether dispatching monitoring teams to Ukraine also requires National Assembly consent as troop dispatch, he explained, "According to the law, the minister is allowed to make decisions regarding small-scale troop dispatches," adding, "This does not mean that small-scale troop dispatches are being conducted; it is just what the relevant regulations state." He clarified that troop dispatch refers to the military performing long-term combat missions or similar support missions with a sizable force.

Regarding whether providing interpretation support if North Korean troops participating in the Ukraine war become prisoners of war would count as troop dispatch, he said, "Whether interpretation support counts as troop dispatch needs to be reviewed, but if North Korean troops surrender or are captured as prisoners of war, our assistance may be necessary," adding, "If support is needed on humanitarian grounds, it should be considered. However, it is limited to say definitively whether it will or will not be done at this point."

Political circles: "If troops are dispatched without consent, the Defense Minister will face impeachment"

The day before, the Presidential Office also announced that if North Korean troops dispatched to Russia begin combat with Ukrainian forces, the government will activate its response in stages. This is interpreted as an intention to adjust the level of involvement considering national interests. The Presidential Office explained that it is necessary to prepare to dispatch a war situation analysis team to monitor North Korean activities and that discussions on weapon support will prioritize defensive weaponry.

Meanwhile, opposition parties have voiced opposition to troop dispatch. On the 30th, the Democratic Party warned that if the government circumvents the National Assembly's consent and dispatches troops to the Russia-Ukraine war, it will take strong measures.

Kim Byung-joo, a Supreme Council member of the Democratic Party, said at a Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly, "Article 60 of the Constitution states that the National Assembly has the right to consent to the overseas dispatch of the armed forces. Sending even one person overseas is considered troop dispatch," adding, "If the government dispatches troops to the Ukraine battlefield without the National Assembly's consent, the Democratic Party will consider various legal measures, including impeachment of the Defense Minister."

Kim criticized, "The government is trying to evade National Assembly consent by calling it a monitoring team or observer team, but it seems they will also conduct psychological warfare against North Korea or interrogate North Korean prisoners," calling it "a dangerously reckless act of volunteering for a proxy war between the South and the North."