Criticism of Some Siding with North Korea's Claims, Such as the "Pyongyang Drone Incident"
The Ministry of National Defense has strongly refuted the claim that North Korea's distribution of trash balloons to the South after the December 3 emergency martial law incident was intended to provoke North Korean provocations through a "preemptive strike," stating that it is "absolutely not true."
On the 13th, the Ministry of National Defense announced in a message sent to the press corps, "Recently, there have been distorted claims and reports by some that our military's normal military activities are intended to provoke North Korean provocations. We are providing the accurate facts regarding this matter," and made this statement.
The Ministry stated, "The military has maintained a firm military readiness posture and has suppressed North Korean provocations through a consistent policy toward the North. However, some have continuously raised suspicions of 'North Wind operations' by linking normal military activities and measures to the martial law situation since the end of last year, causing security anxiety and weakening our military activities." It added, "Some even criticize the military's 'suspension of the effectiveness of the September 19 military agreement,' 'responses to North Korean trash balloons,' and 'loudspeaker broadcasts toward the North,' and furthermore, they sympathize with North Korea's claims regarding the 'Pyongyang drone intrusion incident' and 'allegations of leaflet distribution toward the North.'"
It further pointed out, "As is well known, North Korea unilaterally declared the complete nullification of the September 19 agreement at the end of 2023 and has committed over 4,000 violations to date. In particular, since May 2024, it has continued reckless provocations such as distributing trash balloons."
The Ministry of National Defense explained, "Our military's 'suspension of the effectiveness of the September 19 military agreement' and 'resumption of loudspeaker broadcasts toward the North' are perfectly normal measures taken in response to North Korea's inhumane provocations." It also stated, "Regarding North Korea's trash balloons, the military has responded patiently under the consistent principle of 'collecting them after they fall,' and has warned and prepared for decisive military action if the lives of the people are seriously threatened. The claim that we tried to provoke North Korean provocations through a preemptive strike, as some have suggested, is absolutely not true."
The Ministry urged, "Distorting the military's activities with baseless false claims undermines the honor and morale of our soldiers and weakens military activities, which will pose a serious threat to national security. We call for an end to reckless allegations that harm national security."
It also stated, "Since the emergency martial law, the military has voluntarily cooperated under the recognition that the facts must be clearly revealed, and will actively participate in all processes, including the national investigation. We will focus solely on maintaining a firm readiness posture for deterrence against the North, looking only at the enemy."
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