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Dec. 3. (Photo by Tak Ki-hyoung)　　

By Kim Kyu-won, staff reporter

Kim Kwan-jin, South Korean Minister of National Defense, continues to make unnecessary hard-line statements against North Korea.

Kim attended a meeting of the National Assembly’s National Defense Committee on Apr. 15, where he said, “No signs have been detected of North Korea trying to start an all-out war.”

This was four days after South Korean President Park Geun-hye came forward to propose talks to North Korea on Apr. 11. It was one day after North Korea made a response saying, “whether or not we will have talks depends on South Korea’s attitude.”

At a sensitive time when dialogue is being sought, Kim was still talking about signs of all-out war, even though such a war is very unlikely to occur. Military experts believe that, since the theatre of war on the Korean peninsula is so small, if a full-scale war like the one in 1950 were to break out, the peninsula would be devastated regardless of who won or lost.

Kim has made aggressive and hard-line remarks on several occasions during this time of high tensions.

“In the event that a situation occurs at the Kaesong Industrial Complex, we are prepared for every contingency, including taking military action,” Kim said at the Saenuri Party (NFP) headquarters in Seoul’s Yeouido neighborhood on Apr. 3. “We are ready to annihilate 70% of the North Korean forces at the front line within five days if North Korea makes a provocation.”

This was on the day that North Korea announced that it was banning entry to the Kaesong Complex. At that time, 800 employees from 123 Korean companies were staying at the complex. In this situation, making a reference to “military action” can be criticized as rash.

“In the event that North Korea makes a provocation, we will mobilize not only our entire military might but also the American forces on the US mainland to gain the upper hand in one fell swoop,” Kim also said at the Central Officials Training Institute (COTI) in Gwacheon on Mar. 30. This may be an expression of his resolute will, but it still risks provoking North Korea unnecessarily.

“Apr. 15 is the most important holiday in North Korea, and it was then that the mood for talks was starting to coalesce,” said Yang Mu-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies. “It was inappropriate for Kim to refer to ‘all-out war.’ I think that, since Kim is not a soldier but a civilian, he needs not only the ability to lead the troops, but also political finesse.”

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