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Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon gives a lecture entitled

On Jan. 26, South Korean Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon said that North Korea’s military parade on Feb. 8, the anniversary of the foundation of the Korean People’s Army (KPA), “is likely to be a quite intimidating event involving a significantly large number of soldiers and nearly all the weapons at North Korea’s disposal.”

“North Korea is making preparations on quite a large scale, and those [preparations] are being made at the Mirim Airport (Pyongyang East Airfield),” Cho said during the first session of Korean Peninsula Strategic Dialogue, an event organized by a foundation called Bringing Peace to the Korean Peninsula. “Since this year is the 70th anniversary of the establishment both of the North Korean and of the KPA, Kim Jong-un may see it as finalizing his position as the successor.”

Cho also mentioned the delay of the South Korea-US joint military exercises, saying, “The South Korean-US military exercises have been rescheduled for Mar. 25. The key is to lead the US and North Korea to initiate dialogue under those circumstances and during that time.”

Responding to the controversy over North Korea’s participation in the Pyeongchang Olympics, including the unified inter-Korean women’s hockey team, Cho said that the administration was “humbly accepting criticism.”

“We were aware that managing conflicting public opinions inside South Korea is the key to a sustainable policy toward the North. But despite that awareness, we were criticized for not being adequately prepared for the issue of a North Korean delegation to the Pyeongchang Olympics. The administration is currently taking time for reflection and reassessment,” he said.

By Noh Ji-won, staff reporter

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