Strained relations between North Korea and China as seen in the abrupt cancellation of a North Korean concert in China may spur Pyongyang to keep launching military provocations down the road, the Ministry of National Defense said Monday.
“Under the possibility that the North Korea-China relations may become alienated following the sudden cancellation of the Moranbong Band’s concert, our military will pay special attention to the likelihood of North Korea’s strategic and tactical provocations,” a ministry official said, citing security assessment made during a meeting of military commanders.
The North Korean girls’ band had been scheduled to stage performances for three days in Beijing from Saturday in what could have been a fresh sign of warming bilateral relations between the allies.
The concerts were canceled abruptly as the music band returned home hours before their planned performance. No official reason was given from the North although experts said the episode showed thorny bilateral ties.
The defense official said North Korea is also likely to continue its test-launch of submarine-launched ballistic missiles and nuclear detonation test next year.
“In accordance with this assessment, South Korea will upgrade its anti-missile defense system under the South Korea-United State alliance,” the official said. “The Ministry of National Defense and the Joint Chiefs of Staff will also maintain their joint readiness posture against North Korea’s nuclear test and missile launch.”
Defense Minister Han Min-koo said, “North Korea’s Kim Jong-un is consistently displaying a reign of terror, unpredictability and will for military provocations,” during the biannual meeting of 150 three- and four-star generals and heads of defense-related government organizations.
Han also called for enhanced readiness posture of the military, saying that “The unchanging value of our military is to win in a war with the enemy under any circumstance.”
South Korea also plans to step up its readiness against potential terrorist attacks by North Korea next year as part of broader efforts to guard against the communist country’s security threats, the ministry also said in a statement following the gathering.
“Our military will maintain a firm readiness posture in order to contain and respond resolutely to North Korea’s various provocations, including its nuclear weapons and weapons of mass destruction,” the ministry said.
“To that end, the ministry and the Joint Chiefs of Staff will maintain a posture to contain North Korea’s nuclear tests and long-range missile launches, as well as upgrading and solidifying anti-terrorism units to prepare against a hoard of terrorist attacks,” according to the ministry.
The Defense Ministry will also push to establish a research center for cyber defense to defend the country against growing threats in the cyber sphere and in space, the ministry said. It will seek to hold a regular joint mock exercise with the United States in the field of space warfare. (Yonhap)
