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[WEEKLY FOCUS] S. Korea mulls over suspension of 2018 military agreement amid escalating N. Korean threats 통일부 “北행동 주시하며 ' 합의 효력정지' 검토“ 북한 신형 중거리 고체연료 엔진 실험 Earlier this week, the defense ministers of South Korea and the U.S. met in Seoul for their annual security talks. There, they focused on bolstering their deterrence against North Korea's ongoing nuclear and missile threats. Our defense correspondent Choi Min-jung sums up the details discussed. Seoul and Washington's joint deterrence strategies have been updated from a decade. To read into the commitments made during this year's security consultative meeting, we have our North Korean affairs correspondent Kim Jung-sil in the studio. Welcome Jungsil. Thanks for having me Ye-eun. So Jungsil, what's the biggest takeaway from the 55th security consultative meeting? As we've just seen.. the two sides revised their Tailored Deterrence Strategy for the first time in ten years to better counter N. Korea's evolving nuclear threats. But aside from that,.. also one of the big takeaways , is that the two defense chiefs discussed the possible suspension of the 2018 inter-Korean military agreement at the Security Consultative Meeting. The U.S. obviously didn't agree with or oppose the suspension, but the South Korean defense minister has been strongly asserting the need to suspend some of the clauses. Okay , so you just mentioned a 2018 inter-Korean military agreement, could you give the details of what it is for our viewers? Yes, the agreement was made back in 2018 to fully implement the historic “Panmunjom Declaration“ between then-South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. The inter-Korean military agreement, or Comprehensive Military Agreement , is an agreement by the South and North to completely cease all hostile acts against each other including on land, in the air, and by sea. And there's one clause that the Defense chief continues to say requires suspension, the clause on the No Fly Zones. No Fly Zones? Could you give us details? Yes, No Fly Zones are designated above the Military Demarcation Line and ban aerial reconnaissance within 25 kilometers of the MDL. Specific distances are set for rotary-wing aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles, and hot-air ballons but you can generally get the idea that both sides agreed back in 2018 to not fly anything over the MDL for military purposes. It's been said that the risk of accidental military clashes between the two Koreas has decreased significantly since the agreement. But South Korea's defense minister insisted that there are still unavoidable risks as the September 19 agreement limits the monitoring of North Korea and potential provocations in real-time. The Ministry of Unification, also recently shifted its tone regarding the possible suspension. Take a listen to what a spokesperson had to say on October 30th. “The government will consider suspending the September 19 military agreement if deemed necessary in the interest of national security.“ But on November 14th, the spokesperson told reporters that the government plans to “monitor“ North Korean movements and review what to do in terms of the suspension. Pundits say the term “monitor“ is broader and more abstract. I guess we will have to keep an eye on this issue. Meanwhile, let's talk about North Korea's continued missile provocations. On Wednesday, Pyongyang claimed that it has successfully conducted hot-fire tests of “new types of high-thrust, solid-propellent engines“ for its intermediate-range ballistic missiles or IRBMs. What does this test signify? Well, until now, North Korean IRBMs were based on liquid-fuel engines , but now they are transitioning the engines that use solid fuel instead. This is in no way a surprise, as Pyongyang has already succeeded in developing a longer-range intercontinental ballistic missile that uses solid-fuel engines. The regime even test-fired one back in July. Experts said North Korea is trying to develop and strengthen all possible weapons with various ranges. Take a listen to a South Korean missile expert... #SouthKorea #UnitedStates #NorthKorea #SCM #2018_military_agreement #대한민국 #미국 #북한 #확장_억제 #2018_군사_합의 #Arirang_News #아리랑뉴스 📣 Facebook : 📣 Twitter : 📣 Homepage : 2023-11-18,12:00 (KST)
