Recently, reports that leaflets were distributed by drone in the center of Pyongyang shocked both South and North Korea and the entire world. On the 11th, North Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs claimed for the first time that a South Korean drone infiltrated Pyongyang and distributed leaflets on October 3, 9, and 10. Following the North Korean Foreign Ministry’s statement, Kim Yo-jong, Vice Director of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea, issued warning statements for three consecutive days and even issued an ultimatum. Next, the North Korean Ministry of Defense and the People’s Army General Staff announced a statement. It is known that Chairman Kim Jong-un also convened a ‘Council on Defense and Safety’ and discussed follow-up response measures.
In response to North Korea’s claim that the South’s military was the culprit, Minister of National Defense Kim Yong-hyun did not hesitate to say, “No such thing happened.” Soon after, he said that it was a national security matter and that he “cannot confirm” the fact of the infiltration, raising further suspicions. Vice Minister Kim Yo-jong pointed out that “the main culprit of the drone incident is the South Korean military,” and strongly criticized the United States, which holds operational control as well as control over the demilitarized zone, to the effect that it is responsible. There has been no official response from the United States yet, but it is expected that U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell and Indo-Pacific Commander General Samuel Paparo will visit Korea one by one to take action.
However, Russia immediately defended Pyongyang and actively supported it, saying, “The drone infiltration incident into Pyongyang is both a violation of international law and a serious violation of sovereignty.” Furthermore, Russian Ambassador to Pyongyang Aleksandr Matsegora said in an interview with the Russian media ‘Rosyskaya Gazeta’ that he went up to the embassy rooftop to rest around midnight on October 10th and saw a drone wandering over Pyongyang. Since it is almost impossible to launch this type of unmanned aerial vehicle except by the military, the general opinion in the world as well as in Korea is that the Korean military is responsible.
The question that naturally arises here is who pushed ahead with the drone infiltration and why at this particular time. No one can deny the fact that with the inauguration of the Yoon Seok-yeol administration, the deterioration of inter-Korean relations has gradually escalated, reaching the brink of war. Nowadays, the reality is that people can hear the phrase ‘war on the Korean Peninsula is only a matter of time’ anytime and anywhere. Various opinion polls are reporting that Yoon Seok-yeol’s approval rating for state affairs has recently fallen to the 10% range. It tells us that this is the greatest political crisis. Citizens are unanimous that drone infiltration is not unrelated to Yoon Seok-yeol’s major crisis.
Perhaps by coincidence, rumors are spreading that Yoon Seok-yeol’s plot to declare martial law is nearing completion. Several civil society organizations, including the National Assembly, have come forward to condemn and condemn this and call for a thorough investigation. The debate over war and martial law began to ignite when the heads of all departments in charge of war and martial law were completely filled with figures from the Chungam High School alumni association of Yoon Seok-yeol, who is accused of being the ‘second Chun Doo-hwan Hanahi’. The debate has heated up that Yoon Seok-yeol is seeking to change the situation by provoking war → declaring martial law → eliminating anti-state forces.
Claims were immediately raised that this drone infiltration incident was also part of the formula for provoking war and declaring martial law. This incident may have multiple purposes, including information gathering, but it appears to be focused on inducing provocations from Pyongyang. This is because only if there is a provocation from North Korea can the war be justified and the justification be demonstrated. It is a reasonable assumption that the fact that Pyongyang even took pictures of the drone meant that the information was leaked because it had already been captured. In other words, all information about the drone infiltration has been exposed, making it very difficult to escape the stigma of being a criminal using any excuse or pretext.
A question that must be raised is why this moment was chosen. Seok-Yeol Yoon must have been very nervous and impatient due to the fact that the US presidential election (November 5) was so close that he was pressed for time and there was a strong possibility that Trump would win. Moreover, the sudden revelation of Myung Tae-gyun is shaking up the whole country. Yoon Seok-yeol, who decided that he could no longer endure the crisis, appears to have hurried into action. That action is ‘armed conflict → declaration of martial law.’
The Yoon regime tried to induce a provocation from Pyongyang, but the entire preliminary story was revealed, making it clear that the plan to induce provocation had failed. I was put in a position where I could not raise my face because I had suffered international disgrace. Moreover, if Trump is elected, Yoon Seok-yeol will lose sleep at night with the fear that his political career will end. However, it would be a big mistake to think that the Yoon regime will give up on ‘provoking war and declaring martial law’ due to the failure to induce this provocation. They will use every means and method to find an excuse to declare martial law before the US presidential election.
According to the Korean Central News Agency (10/16), North Korea said it would blow up roads and railroads connected to the South on the Military Demarcation Line and continue construction of fortifications on the closed southern border. It is said that the US military has already been notified that this is an inevitable measure due to the serious security environment that is heading towards war. The South Korean military is said to have responded to the bombing operation with fire. The fact that the South fired a response even though it was not in the nature to get involved or make a fuss because the construction was being carried out under North Korea’s jurisdiction can be seen as evidence that it has not learned any lessons from the already failed manned provocation.
What we must not miss here is the fact that the United States can never be free from drone infiltration incidents. The US military is responsible for managing the ceasefire line. It seems highly likely that the Korean military infiltrated a drone without the United Nations Command (US military) knowing. In any case, regardless of whether this incident was the work of the Korean military or the US military was involved, the ultimate responsibility lies with the US military as it clearly constitutes a violation of sovereignty over Pyongyang. The U.S. military has an obligation and responsibility to promise to prevent recurrence and provide a reasonable explanation to the Pyongyang authorities. In a situation where it is an established fact that the Korean military was responsible for it, it is a big defeat to make a lame excuse and then criticize the situation by saying that an apology will end the situation.
Biden, who was frightened by the drone incident, appears to have dispatched U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Campbell and Commander-in-Chief of the Incheon International Airport to Seoul to resolve the situation. They probably begged for restraint and silence until the U.S. presidential election. Biden may have judged that another war on the Korean Peninsula was bad news for the presidential election, given that two ongoing wars were unfavorable to the presidential election. There are rumors that Biden was furious after receiving reports of the drone incident. Biden appears to be well aware that the North Korea of today is not the North Korea of the past.
For example, despite pleas from NATO and Zelensky, Biden refused at the last minute to lift range limits on long-range missiles. It may have been judged that the first mission of the North Korean People’s Army, which automatically participates in a war between NATO and Russia in accordance with the North-Russian Alliance Treaty signed in June, was to attack the US military base in Pyeongtaek. It is fair to say that they opposed the missile attack on the Russian mainland on the grounds that the sacrifice of US troops stationed in Korea should be prevented. As a result, it can be said that North Korea’s status as a nuclear-armed military power prevented Biden’s world war.
The American people, including U.S. presidential candidate Harris, are not feeling the security crisis coming from North Korea. This is because the authorities intentionally did not disclose it. All most citizens know is the demonized North Korea. But policymakers and military experts know only too well. A representative figure is former Deputy Minister of Defense Bipin Narang. He recently resigned from public office and confessed in a speech he gave as a professor at the MIT College of Engineering, “I can’t sleep at night because of North Korea’s ever-increasing nuclear and missile sophistication.” Trump knows this well, so he said, “You have to get along well with people who have nuclear weapons.”
Yoon Seok-yeol abolished the ‘9.19 Military Agreement’, a mechanism to prevent conflict between North and South Korea, and rushed towards war. From the beginning, he thought that leaflet distribution would succeed in inducing provocations from North Korea. However, after failing to lure North Korea into provocation, this time they attempted a surprise broadcast through loudspeakers. This didn’t work either and I ended up covered in trash and filth. In the end, they tried to induce North Korea’s provocation by infiltrating Pyongyang with a drone, which was their final resort, but ultimately failed. Not only did it result in strengthening the unity of North Korea’s party, military, and people, but it also undermined South Korea’s international trust and made it an international outcast.
North Korea’s Ministry of Defense issued a statement saying, “Gambling with the lives of one’s own people will lead to their tragic destruction.” Yoon Seok-yeol’s war game is a very dangerous gamble that risks the lives of the Korean people. That’s an accurate point. It is said that in Pyongyang these days, the determination to save the country and protect the people is sky-high. It is said that over 1.4 million people across the country submitted petitions for enlistment and military service in the People’s Army. It is also said that artillery units on all fronts are ready to fire.
Meanwhile, in Seoul, candlelight marches are taking place every day, and a movement to save the country is spreading like wildfire, led by senior intellectuals, groups from all walks of life, and citizens. Candlelight slogans that represent the will of the people are a mirror that accurately reflects the will of the people. Representative examples include, ‘Let’s overthrow Yoon Seok-yeol’s ugly kingdom of corruption and Yoon Kun-hee’s gang!’, ‘Arrest Kim Kun-hee, who is involved in nomination corruption and state affairs!’, ‘Let’s destroy the kingdom of Geon-hee, a country full of secret crooks!’, ‘Impeach Yoon Seok-yeol, the illegal, lawless and fraudulent regime!’, ‘If we don’t impeach, there will be war. Let’s impeach Yoon Seok-yeol!’ etc.
2024-10-20 05:02:00